What better way to celebrate one of Florida’s most beloved native creatures than by attending a festival held in its honor? The 10th Annual Florida Black Bear Festival, on Saturday, March 28, will be an excellent opportunity to learn more about this threatened species.
The event typically draws between 5,000 and 8,000 people, and for good reason. The festival is from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Caldwell Park, 4 Cassidy St., in Umatilla, and will include educational activities for adults and children as well as numerous exhibits and vendor booths. Among the activities are field trips to the Ocala National Forest, an important bear habitat, and an “Author’s Corner” where participants will have the opportunity to meet five Florida authors.
Here’re a few facts about Florida’s black bears:
- They are the largest native land mammals in the state.
- Adult black bears can weigh from 125 pounds to 450 pounds and grow to between 5 and 6 feet long and 3 feet tall at the shoulder.
- About 80 percent of black bears' diet is plant matter and 20 percent animal matter. They typically feed on insects, nuts, berries and acorns.
Sadly, early European settlements in Florida took their toll on the state’s black bear, which once roamed all of the Florida’s mainland and some coastal islands and keys. There may have been as many as 12,000 black bears living in the state at one time, but there are only an estimated 1,500 remaining today.
Now, for the most part, bears occupy only six core areas: Eglin, Apalachicola, Osceola, Ocala, St. Johns, and Big Cypress, and two remnant areas, Chassahowitzka and Glades/Highlands, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. But it’s events like this that help conservation efforts by educating the public, promoting awareness and celebrating Florida’s wildlife.
To learn more about Florida’s bears and other wildlife, visit myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats.
For more on the festival, visit www.umatillablackbearfestival.org. |
