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Polar Bears International (PBI) is a conservation organization with a clear mission: the conservation of polar bears through research and education. If you are lucky enough to venture to Churchill, Manitoba, during the fall to see the polar bears, you may well experience one of PBI's Adventure Learning Programs. The In-Field Lecture (IFL) program was formed to provide more education to visitors to the tundra and to develop and promote leadership in women in the zoo profession.

The IFL team joins staff from The Tundra Buggy Adventure® on the buggy tours to share their knowledge and passion about polar bears and the conservation initiatives of PBI.

Candidates for the IFL Team must be members in the zoo profession and have experience working with polar bears. The team members are chosen for their great people skills and ability to work in a complex environment, intelligence, and superior sense of teamwork. They are energetic and are dedicated to educating their community about polar bears and the arctic.

The program is now four years in development and has had IFL Arctic Ambassadors from Alaska, Oregon, California, Minnesota, Ohio, and New York.

New team members are trained for the experience by other IFL Ambassadors through a DVD of the presentations as well as several discussions with other team members about the experience and expectations for the trip to Churchill. The backbone to the IFL knowledge is the, currently, 55-page guidebook. This book is a living document constantly updated with the most up-to-date information on polar bears and the climate changes in the arctic. A great benefit to having all disciplines represented on the PBI Advisory Council is ease of getting answers to questions about the arctic environment and ever increasing knowledge about polar bears.

Frequently this information is given through personal conversations and publications from members of the advisory council, thus giving the value of the most accurate and current information for our audience. In addition, IFL’s team members contribute their own stories and experiences to broaden the scope of the knowledge base. The information in the guidebook, and the IFL’s own professional experience, greatly prepares them for just about any question or situation out on the tundra!

The IFL day begins at dark with joining the team of Tundra Buggy staff to prepare the buggies and buggy launch area for the visitors. The visitors soon arrive and it’s off to bear viewing on the tundra. The IFL develops relationships with each visitor sharing information about the experience to help each visitor take home a greater appreciation of the far north and polar bears. During the day, the IFL will give a presentation about some of the conservation work and education PBI is sponsoring throughout the world. The presentation concludes with sharing information on the physiology and anatomy of polar bears with showing a replica polar bear skull and claw, and a piece of fur and hide. A highlight is the now tradition of demonstrating how a polar bear makes a kill using the replica skull and an unsuspecting guest!

By the end of the season IFL’s have spoken with and shared their knowledge with close to 4,000 visitors. The value of this program is the personal connection to each guest by the IFL to promote conservation of polar bears through a day of education and friendship on the tundra. The IFL comes home with a richer knowledge and experience about polar bears and the arctic and initiates a program at home to continue to share that knowledge, experience, and passion about the far north and polar bears. They further fulfill their commitment by bringing the skills and knowledge they gained from the IFL experience to their home organizations, colleagues, and communities. This helps promote these women as leaders in the zoo profession and expands their networks to further the conservation of polar bears.

For information on PBI's In-Field Lecture program, or if you know of a woman in the zoo profession that would be interested joining our team, please contact the author at jsimerson@msn.com, or see www.polarbearsinternational.org.

Article source: International Association for Bear and Management, a non-profit organization which promotes the conservation and restoration of the world’s bears through science-based research, management and education.