DFG News Archive

New DFG Director to be Keynote Speaker at 15th International Bear Association Conference

Ryan Broddrick, the newly appointed director of the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG), will appear as the keynote speaker at the 15th International Conference on Bear Research and Management on Monday, Feb. 9, 2004 at the Bahia Hotel in San Diego.

The conference is sponsored by the International Association For Bear Research and Management (IBA) and hosted by the DFG. The five-day conference will feature presentations from experts on all eight species of bears found worldwide. Topics range from natural history and behavior, to management techniques and bear/human interactions. About 900 people are expected to attend. A complete conference schedule can be found at www.dfg.ca.gov/hunting/bear/iba/schedule.pdf

Broddrick, a DFG employee for 20 years before becoming the Director for Conservation Policy for Ducks Unlimited in 2001, will kick off the conference with a 7:45 a.m. address in one of his first appearances since being appointed DFG Director by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Jan. 20. "Our department is proud to host such a high-caliber scientific gathering," Broddrick said. "I am excited about being a part of it."

Although conference attendance is limited to registered guests, there are two free evening sessions open to the public, said conference chairman Doug Updike, a senior DFG wildlife biologist and black bear expert. "One of our featured speakers is Steve Herrero, who literally wrote the book on bear/human interactions," Updike said. "The other speaker is Don Lindburg, an expert on giant pandas." These two topics were chosen for public presentations because of the statewide interest in conflicts with wildlife, and because of the local interest in the giant pandas at the San Diego zoo, Updike said.

The public presentations, to be held in the Bahia Hotel's Mission Bay Ballroom, are scheduled for: Monday, Feb. 9, Living With Bears by Steve Herrero, 8 p.m; and Thursday, Feb. 12, Giant Pandas by Don Lindburg, 8 p.m.

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Editor's Note: Members of the news media are encouraged to attend any portion of the conference. To register, please complete a press pass application which can be found by going to www.dfg.ca.gov/hunting/bear/iba/presspass.pdf

A media availability with DFG Director Ryan Broddrick will be scheduled immediately after his 7:45 a.m. keynote address on Monday, Feb. 9 at the Bahia Hotel in San Diego. For more information, contact Steve Martarano at smartara@dfg.ca.gov or 916-654-5866.