WILDLIFE -- Volunteers from the Be Bear Aware Campaign recently were in Glacier National  Park handing out brochures on being safe in bear country.

"One group heading out on the trails said they didn't need the brochure," said Chuck Bartlebaugh. "One of them said, 'We're just here to watch the birds.'"

Bartlebaugh, who's been spreading bear awareness information for years and promoting the benefits of carrying bear spray, said bear attacks don't happen often enough to really capture the public's attention and convince people of the need to be bear aware regardless of whether they're hiking, bird watching, hunting, fishing....

"Bear attacks are rare, but they happen," he said.

Being bear aware is in the best interest of all outdoor recreationists, and ultimately for wild bears, too.