Pssst … have a bear story?
Feb. 8, 2023 | By Waterbury Roundabout 
Courtesy photo
There’s a contest afoot that looks to mine the community for its best real-life stories about bears.
The Mad River Valley 2022 Great Amazing Bear Story Contest is organized by the Mad River Valley Bear Initiative inviting the public to submit black bear stories from 2022.
The MRV Bear Initiative is a group of conservation organizations in Duxbury, Fayston, Moretown, Waitsfield and Warren, as well as representatives of Friends of the Mad River, Sugarbush, and Stark Mountain Foundation. Their goal is to collectively improve how humans coexist with black bears.
The contest announcement says the purpose is simple: “We all share our community with a healthy bear population and it’s just a matter of time before these neighbors stop by to introduce themselves. The MRV Bear Initiative wants to help community residents (of the human form) to bear-proof our homes and businesses, and wants to hear real stories of how it's going!”
The prizes? Two lucky storytellers (from the Mad River Valley) will win either a 64- or 96-gallon bear proof/resistant trash container by Toter.
A black bear cub crosses River Road in Duxbury in July 2022. Photo by Gordon Miller
The rules
Stories should be based on true sightings and/or interactions with black bears and preferably from the 2022 calendar year.
Submit entries to the contest entry portal before Sunday, March 12.
Length: Stories only need to be long enough to capture attention, ideally less than two pages.
Format: Submit any or multiple formats of recorded media such as pictures, drawings, a link to a video, a poem, an essay, etc.
Selected stories will be shared with the community as educational and inspirational opportunities for all to enjoy.
When asked who is eligible to enter, contest spokeswoman Janet Bisbee replied saying that the trash totes will go to residents of the five towns in the MRV Bear Initiative area. But anyone can send in a story that could be shared as part of the project. “Bears don’t stick to town boundaries and likewise anyone can submit stories,” she explained.
Email any questions to bears@madrivervalley.com.