I've always been fascinated by bears. There is something about them that captures the raw purity of nature. All of them hold a fascination for me, although I must admit that the brown bear holds a special place in my heart though. I can't describe it much better than that. There is a magic to bears that is hard to find elsewhere.

Look in the bedroom on nearly any child. What do you see? Teddy Bears, stuffed animal Bears, pictures of bears. Our society thrives on bears. Check out the cartoons... Baloo, Little Bear, Yogi, and Pooh. The influence of the bruin can be seen everywhere. It is inescapable.

I spent several months as an exhibit guide when "BEARS: IMAGINATION AND REALITY" was being presented at the Academy of Natural Science in Philadelphia, PA. And during that time, I saw how interested in bears people were. I also saw how little folks knew. Folklore and myth were more common than knowledge and facts.

They were thirsty, though... they wanted to know. And I enjoyed showing them the pelts and telling them about the different bears. There is something really rewarding about helping people to understand things that they really want to learn.

Now, especially, folks need to know. Many of the species of bears in the world are slowly dwindling. We are not alone on the Earth. Thousands of other forms of life live here too. If we are to survive, we must do it together. Not just humans and bears, but humans and everything that lives. We're in this together, let's just hope it's not too late to keep it that way. Pax!