The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) and the University of Tennessee (UT) will hold public meetings from Aug. 12 through 14 in Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Ferriday and Tallulah. The results of a recently completed University of Tennessee PhD project will be presented.
 
Meeting times and locations are as follows:
 
Aug. 12 at 10 a.m.    LDWF HQ LA Room                        2000 Quail Dr., Baton Rouge
 
Aug. 12 at 6 p.m.      USFWS Building                             646 Cajundome Blvd., Lafayette
 
Aug. 13 at 6 p.m.      Concordia Community Center      26356 Hwy 15, Ferriday
 
Aug. 14 at 6 p.m.      Tallulah Community Center          800 Beech St, Tallulah
 
PhD candidate Jared Laufenberg will present his project results entitled “Population dynamics and genetic structure of the Louisiana black bears in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley of Louisiana.”  Before delisting can occur, bear subpopulations in Tensas and Atchafalaya river basins have to be sustainable with a corridor to connect those two sustainable subpopulations.  This research addresses those questions.  
 
Following the presentation, there will be a question and answer period to allow for general discussion about bears in Louisiana and living with bears.  For more information, contact Maria Davidson at 337-948-0255 or mdavidson@wlf.la.gov.
 
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is charged with managing and protecting Louisiana's abundant natural resources. For more information, visit us at www.wlf.louisiana.gov, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ldwffb or follow us on Twitter @LDWF.