Last week, Kentucky's Deputy Secretary of Tourism, Regina Stivers braved the wild and not only got a sneak peak at three bear cubs, but held one close in it's natural habitat.
Stivers, the wife of State Senator Robert Stivers, said this was her
third invite and she was excited to finally be able to work the
adventure into her schedule.
Stivers and others including Dr. Karl Clinard, Lake Cumberland's
Fish and Wildlife Commission-er, accompanied biologists as they
documented the presence of three cubs in a mamma bear's den and
collected important research information.
Movements and reproduction are now being tracked on approximately
two dozen "radio collared" mamma bears in the state.
The number of cubs in a den, along with breakdowns of males versus
females help biologists track what Kentucky's black bear population
is doing and also assists them in determining how to manage the species.
Stivers and Clinard were among a select few to visit a wilderness
den with Bear Program Coordinator John Hast and Wildlife Biologist
Tristan Curry.
Hast and Curry immobilized the mamma bear and discovered three cubs,
two males and one female.
While checking on the baby bears, Curry inserted a small
identification tag just below the skin on each one of their backs and
the collar on the mamma bear was also adjusted before she was revived.
Bears were absent for more than a century after being hunted out in
the 1850's, but they' re returning to Kentucky on their own.
In an interview, Deputy Secretary of Tourism Stivers was all about
promoting the Bluegrass and talked of visitors coming from across the
country to see what Kentucky has to offer. During the spring and
summer, there's lots of traffic on Lake Cumberland for fishing
tournaments, Raft Up, the Poker Run and folks just spending vacation
time here, enjoying all of the area's scenic beauty.
Stivers talked of deer, elk and bear hunts bringing more sportsmen
to the state and those attractants serving as a stimulant with extra
monies spent for rooms, food, gas and other necessities. The
conversation continued and touched on Stivers upbringing in the
Eastern Kentucky mountains of Letcher County.
She has been away from her hometown for the past forty years, but
holds her childhood memories close at heart. Stivers also discussed
the ups and downs of the mining industry and how so many families
have been touched by job losses in recent years. She could directly
relate to their hardships in the coal fields, since her father and
grandfather's livelihood was underground mining when she was growing up.
Dr. Karl Clinard was also accessible for comment and talked of a
"feel good" already within the KY Department of Fish and Wildlife due
to the positive feedback and influence from their new Commissioner
Rich Storm. Karl said he can already see matters regarding Fish and
Wildlife moving forward and went on to talk about a bill that passed
the General Assembly, freeing up and allowing Conservation Officers
some leeway in doing their jobs.
With Storm now in the leadership role, Karl has stepped up to serve
as Chairman, in addition to being our District 9 Commissioner serving
residents of Bell, Clay, Clinton, Jackson, Knox, Laurel, McCreary,
Pulaski, Russell, Wayne and Whitley County. Karl is an avid sportsman
himself, having hunted in several of the lower 48 states, as well as
Alaska, Australia, New Zealand, Africa and Russia.
He considers it a privilege to be serving and representing the
sportsmen and women of our area. Karl says there is a common goal in
place of maintaining, improving and sharing the state's Fish and
Wildlife resources with fellow Kentuckians as well as tourists who
visit the Commonwealth. He stands proud of Conservation Officers
assisting others and talked of them delivering supplies to residents
stranded by recent flooding.
Officers responded with boats to reach as many as 50 to 100 people
in Eastern KY and evacuated one person with medical issues who did
not wish to remain stranded. Officers also boated employees to check
electrical stations affected by flooding. Conservation Officers have
a history of helping others and go that extra mile to assist people affected by natural disasters.
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