Meet Cassie Mendoza: Our New Program Biologist in the Bitterroot!
We are absolutely thrilled to introduce Cassie Mendoza, the newest member of the Wind River Bear Institute team, serving as Program Biologist for the Bitterroot Ecosystem here in Montana!
With grant funding from the Heart of the Rockies Initiative, USFS RAC Grant, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Vital Ground, Yellowstone to Yukon Foundation, and Defenders of Wildlife we were able to hire Cassie to conduct important human-bear conflict work throughout the Bitterroot Valley. This kind of work simply doesn’t happen without partners like this, and we couldn’t be more grateful!
Who is Cassie?
Cassie brings a serious bear résumé to the Bitterroot. She’s cut her teeth on bear management work in Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, and Florida — which means she’s tackled everything from coastal brown bears to black bears sneaking into suburban trash cans, in about as many different landscapes as bears come in!
She holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree focused on human-bear conflict mitigation, so this isn’t just a job for Cassie — it’s her life’s work. Add in a genuine love for the outdoors, bears, and the idea that people and wildlife can share the same landscape, and you’ve got the perfect fit for the Bitterroot.
Cassie is hitting the ground running, teaming up with the Bitterroot Bear Resource Committee and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks on outreach and education projects across the valley — including hands-on inert bear spray training using a robotic bear platform (yes, a robot bear — and yes, it’s as fun as it sounds).
Cassie’s Highlights Since March
Cassie has been an absolute whirlwind of bear-smart energy these past few months. Just look at what she’s accomplished:
- 26 outreach and education events
- 23 USFS Bitterroot National Forest campground checks (“tracks”)
- 5 site investigations for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
- 45 cans of inert bear spray sprayed (that’s a lot of confident, bear-spray-ready community members!)
From campgrounds to classrooms, Cassie is out there making the Bitterroot Valley a safer place for people and bears — one conversation (and one robotic bear charge) at a time.
Welcome to the team, Cassie — we can’t wait to see what’s next!