North American Bears Expert Team Co-chair

Rich Beausoleil has been conducting bear research since 1997 and has worked with bears in Louisiana, Tennessee, New Mexico and currently in Washington since 2002 where he is the statewide Bear & Cougar Specialist. He holds 2 degrees in wildlife biology, a B.S. from University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and a M.S, from University of Tennessee at Knoxville. In addition to his Bear Specialist Group involvement, he was the first Chair of the IBA Management Committee. He also co-founded Washington’s Karelian Bear Dog Program and has been a handler since 2006 with Cash, Indy, and Milo, served as scientific advisor for author Linda Masterson’s book “Living with Bears Handbook” and is a regional representative for the nationwide BearWise Program.