While I’m always up for a good wildlife sighting story, I am especially interested in getting specific details on bears and lions. Every year we get multiple reports of bear and lion sightings from around the monument and I am interested in all of them. Most of these are from excited visitors who are lucky to see a bear or a lion from a safe distance and then report the sighting to the closest person in a uniform. This could be you. Having copies of the bear and lion sighting forms (see .pdf links below) handy in your vehicle, backpack, or raft will help guide you what to ask the reporting party to make these reports as informative as possible.
Please then send these forms to me as soon as you can. You can text a picture of the completed form, scan and email it, or drop it in interoffice mail. If there is a report or active situation of a bear or lion (or a fresh kill) in close proximity to people (housing, campgrounds, river camps), please notify a ranger right away. A sighting form can be completed at a later date.
Also, linked below, is guidance on when, where, and how employees are to use bear spray. Please become familiar with these documents (especially if your job takes you into the backcountry regularly) and get with your supervisor or me if you have questions or want to discuss it further.
Bear Spray Deterrent – Dinosaur National Monument
Bear Spray Fact Sheet from USGS
While this info is specifically from Dinosaur National Monument, it is applicable and handy no matter where our employees are… whether at Flaming Gorge Dam, Fossil Butte National Monument, Red Canyon, Bear River, etc.. Please take the opportunity to familiarize yourself with this info.