The Great Bear Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of bears and their habitat around the world. The Foundation was created in 1981 to be a voice for the bears and is located in Missoula, Montana.

Everywhere wild bears exist, they have been forced to adapt to habitat changes caused by human population growth. In some cases, the bears have become so endangered that they are on the verge of extinction. It is possible for bears and humans to successfully coexist, but now it is the responsibility of humans to adapt and learn about ways to live with bears.

The Great Bear Foundation is primarily a member-funded organization, and the generosity and support of our members makes our work possible. You can read more about our Projects and Field Courses, find out how to become a Member or Shop to help support us, read the latest Bear News or our past Blog posts. And you can click the tabs above to read about the staff of Great Bear.

Dr. Charles Jonkel has been a biologist and researcher for over 50 years. His work ranges from researching brown, black and polar bears to arctic ecology, teaching conservation-based field courses to the general public, university classes, and wildlife research techniques. Having founded the International Wildlife Film Festival, he has worked for ethics and accuracy in wildlife media. He now strives to teach people about the Arctic, its people, wildlife, and the current crises facing the region due to climate change. Dr. Jonkel is the Co-founder and Scientific Advisor of Great Bear Foundation. He is also a devoted grandfather, gardener, and community member.

Shannon Donahue is the executive director of the Great Bear Foundation. She holds an M.Sc. in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana, with a concentration in bear conservation and education. She spends the summer months in Haines, Alaska, monitoring human-bear interactions on the Chilkoot River, and educating visitors about bear safety and ecology. She has been working on mitigating the impacts of bear-viewing in various capacities since 2005. Shannon is currently working with Dr. Frank Tyro and Matt Anderson on a documentary film on the life and work of Dr. Charles Jonkel. Her research interests focus on the effects of tourism on bears in North America and human relationships with wildlife.

Dr. Frank Tyro has worked at Salish Kootenai College (SKC) in Pablo, Montana since 1984 teaching photography, TV production and mass communication. He brought local public television to the Flathead Reservation in 1988. Frank’s background includes 40 years in broadcast media. He is a recurrent visitor to Churchill, Manitoba with the Great Bear Foundation Arctic Ecology field trips as a volunteer beginning in 1984. TV production awards include Best Professional Short, International Cultural Film Symposium, Platinum Best of Show Cultural Documentary, Aurora Award, Telly and Videography Awards of Excellence, Finalist at IWFF and screenings at the American Indian Film Institute Festival, and Native Voice Festival. Frank has a B.S. in TV Production from MSU, Bozeman, an M.A. from Temple University, Philadelphia in Mass Communications and PhD from the Union Institute and University, Cincinnati in e-learning.

He received the Distinguished Service Award from SKC, was president of the Montana Public Television Association, and president, Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Lake County. He has presented on American Indian Learning Styles, Constructivist Theory and Successful Online Courses at conferences in the U.S., Norway and Canada.

Frank lives in Pablo, MT with his wife, Dr. Lori Lambert and their sled dogs.

Christina Sinskichott began working with the Great Bear Foundation during the summer of 2010, coordinating kid’s education programs and the Kid’s Trip to the Arctic. During the rest of the year, she lives in Texas and works as a pediatric occupational therapist. From long distance, she assists with planning the Kids Trip, writing Bear News articles and other projects as needed and looks forward to future summers in Missoula.

Jenny Rasche is a longtime friend and our former office manager, who continues to volunteer and work as a consultant for GBF. She has a B.S in Psychology from Virginia Tech and has gained knowledge of wildlife biology through courses at the University of Montana and field experience in Alaska. In the summers, she works on Alaska’s Russian and Kenai Rivers educating anglers about bear safety and ethical angling.

Tucker Seitz is from Redmond, Washington and played collegiate baseball for two years at Spokane Falls Community College before transferring to the University of Montana to study Wildlife Biology with a minor in Climate Change Studies. He has been a volunteer for the Great Bear Foundation since 2008 and is heading up the Bears and Apples project. His interests are hunting, fishing, chopping wood, and living the dream.

Matt Anderson Matt Anderson has worked as a media consultant and educator for the Great Bear Foundation since 2001. He is currently editing a one hour documentary about the cultural ties between First Nations people of northern British Columbia and the Spirit Bear, and collaborating on the Chuck Jonkel documentary. Prior to working with the Great Bear Foundation, Matt worked for a PBS affiliate in Boston, where he was an associate producer. He has recently returned to Missoula, Montana, where he lives with his wife and son.

Julie Gilbertson-Day is a friend and former full time employee of Great Bear. She is currently pursuing her Master’s in Geography, but helps in the office periodically. She also has a Bachelors of Science in Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana with a focus in Environmental Education.
 
 

Mary Hawver is a dedicated bear enthusiast and educator. She has participated in several of the Great Bear Foundation’s Arctic Ecology Field Courses in Churchill, Manitoba, including our summer Kids’ Trip to the Arctic. She is an avid photographer and naturalist. Mary has recently retired after over twenty years as the production manager for GBF’s publication, Bear News. Mary lives in Wisconsin and spends summers in the Northern Rockies of western Montana, where she enjoys watching bears and other wildlife.

Greg Price worked as the coordinator for the GBF Great Grizzly Search, a multi-year collaborative DNA study to determine the presence of grizzly bears in the Greater Salmon-Selway-Bitterroot Ecosystem in Montana and Idaho. Currently, Greg volunteers and is a major contributor to our Bear Honoring event held annually in May.
 
 

Brian Huntington is part-time staff, and coordinates the Babine River Grizzly Project in northwestern British Columbia, examining the ecosystem level connectivity of bears in the wild landscape. His non-intrusive research methodology includes DNA hair sampling, den surveys, and study of seasonal migration patterns. He has a Bachelors of Science in Resource Conservation with a Wildlife Biology focus from the University of Montana.