In celebration of the
Grizzly Bear
City of Heber, Wasatch County
One of Utah's most beloved animals, Bart the Bear (1977-2000) was a Heber-based movie and television actor trained by Doug and Lynne Seus. Utah Wildlife Walls has partnered with Heber City, Heber Valley Entertainment, Body and Soul Studios, the Utah Film Commission and the Vital Ground Foundation to celebrate Bart's legacy with a monumental new mural in downtown Heber. Located across the street from the historic Avon Theater, the mural is made possible through support from a Heber City TAPS grant and Vital Ground.
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In 1990, in the wake of Bart's early movie successes, Doug and Lynne Seus co-founded Vital Ground, a nonprofit land trust that conserves habitat for grizzly bears and other wildlife in the northern Rocky Mountains. Founded in Utah, Vital Ground is now headquartered in Missoula, Mont. The organization has helped protect and enhance more than 1 million acres of habitat for grizzlies and all things wild, creating a large and lasting conservation legacy for Bart and his successors, Bart the Bear II, Tank the Bear and Honey Bump the Bear.
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We're excited to offer a chance for the public to help celebrate Bart's legacy with a weekend of Bart movie screenings and events, including Bart storytelling with Doug and Lynne and a book release party for Lynne’s new memoir, The Grizzlies and Us, plus conversation with grizzly bear advocate Doug Peacock and Vital Ground staff. ​Join us on November 15 and 16th! Details below.
Bart Film Fest:
A Monumental Tribute
to the Legacy of Bart the Bear
Avon Theater, Heber City, Utah
94 South Main Street
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Friday, November 15, 2024
5:00 pm Mural Reception & Book Release Party with Doug and Lynne Seus, Chris Peterson at Body and Soul Studios(across the street from Avon Theater)
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6:30 pm Welcome, Bart Stories & Friday Feature: An Unfinished Life (2005)
Doug and Lynne Seus, Doug Peacock
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8:30 pm Q & A with Doug and Lynne Seus
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Saturday, November 16, 2024
9:00 am Grizzly Bear Conservation with select Grizzly short films (Free to the public) with Doug Peacock and Vital Ground
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11:00 am Matinee: The Great Outdoors (1988)
12:00-1:00pm Book Signing "The Grizzlies and Us" at the Avon Theater by Lynne Seus
1:00-2:30pm Bart Outtakes & Blooper Reels with Doug and Lynne telling Bart stories (Free to the public)
3-4:30 pm Matinee: The Giant of Thunder Mountain (1990) (at the Avon)
6:30-8:30 pm Intro, Bart Stories & Saturday Feature: The Bear (1988) with Doug and Lynne Seus
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8:30 pm Q & A with Doug and Lynne Seus
Lynne Seus and her husband, Doug Seus, started with twenty-five cents and a dream they were told was preposterous. Their family and friends repeated, "You can't just go rescue grizzly bears and turn them into movie stars." Yet, Bart the Bear roared to fame and was recognized as a star, and featured as a presenter at the 70th Academy Awards. This magnificent animal shared the screen with some of the most famous faces in Hollywood, as did his namesake, the orphaned cub, Bart the Bear 2. Their most important role, however, was their inspiration for the Vital Ground Foundation. Their name and power connected celebrities and wilderness advocates to preserve over one-million acres of wildland to date. The lives of these beloved grizzlies had to matter for something more than movies.In The Grizzlies and Us you will laugh, you might cry, and then you might laugh some more at the stories of the great soul of the great bear at the heart of a family.
This is a story that no one else can tell. That is unless one has over 50 years of singular memories with five grizzly bears, a black bear, wolf packs, cougars, coyotes, eagles, foxes, bobcats, owls, raccoons, deer, a badger named Billy, and a trio of human children. "You can't do this," they said. "Nobody does this." This is how we did it. It is a love story.
ALL PROFITS FROM THIS BOOK WILL GO TO THE VITAL GROUND FOUNDATION.
About the Grizzly Bear
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Grizzly bears are large and range in color from very light tan (almost white) to dark brown.
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They have a dished face, short, rounded ears, and a large shoulder hump. The hump is where a mass of muscles attach to the bear’s backbone and give the bear additional strength for digging!
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They have very long claws on their front feet that also give them extra ability to dig after food and to dig their dens.
Grizzly bears once roamed throughout the entire western United States. As their habitat was destroyed and they were excessively over-hunted, their population declined. Grizzlies continued to inhabit Utah up until 1923 when the last wild grizzly bear, Old Ephraim, was shot in Logan Canyon.
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Grizzlies in Utah?
Learn More!
In Bart's honor, Doug and Lynne Seus started the Vital Ground Foundation to protect and restore North America’s grizzly bear populations. Check out their website to get involved!
Thanks to our Partners!
Utah Wildlife Walls is a grassroots arts and engagement project that is only made possible through key partnerships. Big thanks to our partners on this project!
