This past week, our students brought their bear-y best energy while becoming Conservation Ambassadors. The group spent their time at field school learning about bear biology, habitat, and management. As we celebrate this week’s class of students, take a look at the highlights from PA Ursids!
On Tuesday, the Ursids students settled into field school and got acquainted with their peers. They started off with a lecture detailing black bear natural history. They took a forest ecology field walk in the afternoon, collected plant specimens to press and mount later in the week, and received an introduction to nature journaling.
The students participated in a necropsy on Wednesday morning to learn the anatomy of bears. Their afternoon featured a lecture on black bear management. The students practiced taking nature photos to be submitted for feedback. They closed out their second day of field school with a team building activity.
Thursday was a favorite amongst the students! They spent the morning learning about how biologists conduct research on black bear populations. The Pennsylvania Game Commission provided a demonstration on how they collect information by trapping and releasing bears. The students practiced tracking bears with radio telemetry equipment, and learned how GIS and GPS can be helpful tools for research studies. Thursday afternoon, the students traveled to a nearby range where they learned about firearms safety, trapping, and archery!
Friday morning featured a career panel stacked with experts to answer all the questions the students had about their futures. They then participated in a mock town hall meeting focusing on controversial conservation issues. The afternoon prepared students to become Conservation Ambassadors with sessions featuring leadership training, mock media interviews, and an introduction to print media. In the evening, students constructed their trifold projects on a topic that they learned this week. They will take these trifolds home with them to use in their future outreach endeavors.
We are so proud to share what the newest Conservation Ambassadors accomplished this week! We look forward to seeing their outreach record books next spring. Thank you to all the instructors and volunteers that helped make this week great! We appreciate your support of the next generation of conservation leaders!
2026 Ursids Field School Recap
Posted: July 25, 2026 by Katie Mace
This past week, our students brought their bear-y best energy while becoming Conservation Ambassadors. The group spent their time at field school learning about bear biology, habitat, and management. As we celebrate this week’s class of students, take a look at the highlights from PA Ursids!
On Tuesday, the Ursids students settled into field school and got acquainted with their peers. They started off with a lecture detailing black bear natural history. They took a forest ecology field walk in the afternoon, collected plant specimens to press and mount later in the week, and received an introduction to nature journaling.
The students participated in a necropsy on Wednesday morning to learn the anatomy of bears. Their afternoon featured a lecture on black bear management. The students practiced taking nature photos to be submitted for feedback. They closed out their second day of field school with a team building activity.
Thursday was a favorite amongst the students! They spent the morning learning about how biologists conduct research on black bear populations. The Pennsylvania Game Commission provided a demonstration on how they collect information by trapping and releasing bears. The students practiced tracking bears with radio telemetry equipment, and learned how GIS and GPS can be helpful tools for research studies. Thursday afternoon, the students traveled to a nearby range where they learned about firearms safety, trapping, and archery!
Friday morning featured a career panel stacked with experts to answer all the questions the students had about their futures. They then participated in a mock town hall meeting focusing on controversial conservation issues. The afternoon prepared students to become Conservation Ambassadors with sessions featuring leadership training, mock media interviews, and an introduction to print media. In the evening, students constructed their trifold projects on a topic that they learned this week. They will take these trifolds home with them to use in their future outreach endeavors.
We are so proud to share what the newest Conservation Ambassadors accomplished this week! We look forward to seeing their outreach record books next spring. Thank you to all the instructors and volunteers that helped make this week great! We appreciate your support of the next generation of conservation leaders!
Category: Youth Blog Tags: featured, field school, Ursids