Lunch & Learn: Living with Black Bears

Rookery Bay Research Reserve will launch its 2026 Lunch & Learn Lecture Series on January 21. This three-part educational program provides attendees with a catered hot buffet lunch from Carrabba’s Italian Grill while engaging with science-based presentations in the center’s auditorium. Each monthly session will highlight birds, bears and bees. The Lunch & Learn Series is designed to give the public an opportunity to learn directly from the experts working within the Reserve and its surrounding environments.

The February lecture “Living with Black Bears” will be presented by Chris Boyce, South Regional Bear Management Program Coordinator (Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission). The presentation will focus on fostering a coexistence between people and bears. It will also include basic bear biology, securing attractants against bears, safely hazing bears and the history of bears in the state.