BEARSLODGE Presents Legacy of the Great Bears Museum
	"Sleep, your faithful companion, will come. Sleep, Sleep….Sleep under the Cold Maker’s Cloak of White..." Proposed Museum Exhibits LEGACY OF THE GREAT BEARS MUSEUM The dynamic and challenging idea of establishing a Natural History Museum that will be specifically about the bear species of the world will enrich the lives of people for many centuries. The Bear Museum of Natural History will house an outstanding gallery containing the evolution of bears, displays of mounted species of bears, the anatomy of the bear and much more. Visitors will have the opportunity to experience a vivid, factual and thorough profile of the existence of the bears from many thousands of years ago until present times. A significant objective of the museum will be to encourage all people and Bear Organizations to come together in unison to contribute and exchange pertinent data that will aid in the survival of the bear species of the world and their habitat. A broad spectrum of events including workshops, lectures and conferences will be an integral part of the museum. International, National, Federal, State Departments and Wildlife Organizations including Bear Scientific Research Institutions along with Universities will be invited to be a part of the ongoing programs. Traditional methods of hunting and fishing have always been a significant part of man’s survival in the hunter-gather societies in the world. We will strive to present a complete profile of hunting and fishing that demonstrates that it is a vital means of maintaining healthy wildlife populations. One must not exclude this aspect of man’s relationship with the bear as it could only lead to a large void in the history of the bear and mankind. Many other facets of man’s influence and connection with the bears both in the natural world and in captivity will be examined in a wide variety of programs. Another intended exhibit gallery will feature murals and bear paintings that depict how the Old Master paintings from the Old World and in the Western World viewed the bear. Early American pioneers recognized the bear as a ferocious creature. Paintings by famous artist like Bodmer, Catlin, Russell and others showed strong evidence in their paintings of man’s fear of the bears. This will be a permanent collection of paintings and prints from centuries past that clearly illustrate historical human/bear conflict. In contrast, there will be paintings by contemporary wildlife artists that show man’s effort to save the remaining bear species from extinction. This presentation will be an energetic pictorial story of the bear’s struggle to survive. The museum will also have two additional galleries that will have rotating exhibits. A selection of animated bear photographs taken by National and International Wildlife Photographers will be presented. Decorative Wood Carvings of Bears, Sculptures in Bronze and other three-dimensional media will be displayed. A permanent exhibition gallery will be a part of the museum that will house various collections of artistic images of the bears done by the Indigenous Peoples of the World. Their cultures have always had a deep spiritual relationship with the bear. To better understand the traditional significance of their timeless kinship, this gallery will be designed to give a panoramic and radiant view of their reverence for the bear. A colorful history of the Bear Clans along with the folklore, myths, and legends will be included. Films, lectures and other programs will be featured that will give the viewer a new and deeper insight into their ways of life. With the passage of time, the presence of the bear in our lives will be illuminated in many extraordinary ways. The exhibits and educational programs at the Legacy of the Great Bears Museum will give people the opportunity to see Bears as a part of the natural world and not a creature to be annihilated. "Long before the Robbin Sings, for those who know, YOUR BREATH OF LIFE—OLE BEAR—SPIRALS UPWARD..." Legacy of the Great Bears Museum | Greetings from bearslodge / Contact | Mission Statement, Goals | Proposed Museum Exhibits | The Vision of The Great White Monarch | Notes From Afar