Utah's mountains and forests are home to many black bears.
Several years ago, a black bear killed a young boy while he slept in his tent in the mountains east of American Fork, Utah. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources did not want anything like this to happen again. They asked me to create a highly promoted public safety campaign for "Bear Country."
Above left: Placard providing bear safety rules. The Forest Service attached thousands to picnic tables and campground kiosks in Utah's mountains.
Above right: Several hundred thousand brochures handed out at mountain road entrances and campgrounds.
Above: Inside panels from the brochure. (The red words in the first panel read separately as a complete sentence.)
Below: Many Bear Country signs were placed in Utah forests to remind people to take precautions when camping and hiking. Occasionally, problem bears are captured and relocated. Triangular stickers near the bear trap warn hikers to "Stay Back!"
A nice guy from North Carolina tracked me down. His nickname was Bear. He wondered if I could send him a sign and some stickers to place in his cabin as a humorous warning to his grandkids. I was happy to do so (at least that one time).
