Outdoor Minimalist

Hiking in Bear Country? Bear Biologist, Sydney Stephens, Wants You To Learn to Coexist [REPOST]

May 18, 2026·41 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

Episode 140 featuring Sydney Stephens was originally posted on July 1, 2024. This episode is a repost.Now, two years later, hearing how to safely interact with bears feels more relevant than ever. We're seeing the vilification of predators under the Trump administration in Alaska, Minnesota, and beyond. These animals are just trying to survive, and perhaps it is time that we humans learn how to coexist. --------In episode 140, we enter bear country. Now, we’ve talked about bears on the show before with bear biologist Garret Tovey (⁠Episode 85⁠). That episode is a must-listen if you are planning to enter the bear country and want to know some practical bear safety tips. In this episode, we sit down with another bear biologist, but this time have a chance to hear about the bigger picture of bear conservation as a whole and what we can do to better coexist with larger predators like bears. Sydney Stephens is an experienced biologist with expertise in research, teaching, and outreach. Her work spans diverse fields including biology, chemistry, and geography. She is passionate about community outreach, and engages in guest lectures and museum tours, and has worked internationally and with incarcerated populations. Fieldwork highlights include studying bears, sheep, and lions across Lake Tahoe, India, and Kenya. At the time of the original recording, she was conducting research on wild bear populations in Italy and the Yellowstone region of the United States. INSTAGRAM: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/outdoor.minimalist.book/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠WEBSITE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.theoutdoorminimalist.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YOUTUBE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@theoutdoorminimalist-----------------Sydney Stephens LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sydney-rae-stephens-37a6b3b5/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sydnystphns/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sydney.stephens.319/Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sydney-StephensIORAA: https://www.ioraa.org/

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