BEARly BEGINNING
Two College of Agriculture assistant professors study brown bears. Story by Hannah Johlman
H
air-raising encounters with brown bears aren’t typical experiences for Kansas State University College of Agriculture faculty. Yet when Ryan Sharp, an assistant professor of park management and conservation at K-State spent last July at Katmai National Park and Preserve in
34 Agriculturist • Spring 2017
Alaska as part of his research, he had a bear experience that he will never forget. One night, while preparing for bed, Sharp heard a bear rummaging outside of his yurt, a collapsible, circular, tentlike dwelling for wilderness living. All was well though, as an electric fence surrounded the yurt.
“Although, I don’t think it was on,” Sharp says. While Katmai hasn’t had a bear encounter in 40 years, the hair still stands up on his arms when Sharp shares his story from Alaska.