About Heather
Heather Reich is a career wildlife biologist with a deep-rooted passion for solving human-wildlife conflict. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana in 1998, and it didn’t take long for her to discover where her heart truly lay: working at the complex intersection of people and wildlife—especially bears.
Since 2000, Heather has specialized in reducing human-bear conflict, first with grizzly bears in Montana and later with black bears in Nevada. In 2024, she earned her master’s degree with a focus on—what else?—human-bear conflict. From early in her career, she was mentored in the effectiveness of electric deterrents to protect both people and bears.
In 2022, while attending a wildlife conference with over 300 colleagues, Heather had a pivotal realization: the bears were well supported by professionals and conservation groups—but what the public and her colleagues lacked were practical tools to keep everyone safe. That moment sparked the idea for Bear-ier Solutions.
Heather founded Bear-ier Solutions to give residents of bear country a simple, effective way to protect their homes and families while reducing the chances of bears getting into trouble. The company’s product—an electrified mat—helps stop bears from entering homes, deterring dangerous behavior before it begins. Fewer break-ins mean fewer dangerous encounters, fewer bears that need to be killed, and safer communities for everyone involved.
Heather’s mission is rooted in prevention: empowering the public with tools that make homes less attractive and accessible to bears, and helping her fellow wildlife professionals reduce the number of hard choices they have to make. Because in her words: “The worst part of being a bear biologist is having to kill a bear.”
Bear-ier Solutions is about keeping everyone safe—people, property, and the wildlife that makes the wild worth protecting.
About Derek
Derek Reich likes to say he got into this field “by marriage.” A career videographer and Emmy Award–winning storyteller, Derek earned his bachelor’s degree from Colorado State University, majoring in Journalism with minors in Psychology and Criminology. He founded Zooprax Productions, where he worked for years as a visual journalist, primarily with CBS News.
His work has taken him all over the world—capturing stories of human resilience, wild places, and even meeting the Dalai Lama along the way. But it was a very different kind of story that changed the course of his life: the work of mitigating human-bear conflict.
What started as a side project—documenting bear management efforts in his spare time—led Derek straight into the field. And to Heather. When he wasn’t traveling for his day job, Derek could be found alongside her: educating communities, setting traps, and diving headfirst into the complex world of human-bear conflict.
Eventually, Derek didn’t just join the cause—he married into it. Later, when Heather envisioned Bear-ier Solutions, Derek didn’t hesitate. He set down the camera and picked up the tools of a new trade, co-founding the company with her to bring electric deterrents—especially their flagship electrified mat—to communities that need real solutions.
Now, instead of filming stories about human-wildlife conflict, Derek helps write a new chapter: one where people and bears can safely coexist.
The Dogs
Meet Kondii, Gimbal, and Lumi—three Karelian Bear Dogs who have been loyal teammates in Heather and Derek’s bear conflict work since 2018. Trained in the tradition of the bear dogs who came before them, they’ve followed in some big pawprints and more than risen to the challenge.
These highly skilled wildlife service dogs have helped haze dozens of black bears in Nevada and many grizzly bears in Wyoming, playing a critical role in teaching bears to steer clear of people and neighborhoods. Their work supports safer communities and gives bears a better chance to survive in the wild.
But off-duty? They’re just as content sprawled across the couch or keeping a close watch over the yard—barking at anything that dares move. Whether they’re turning heads at conferences or charming passersby with their noses out the car window, Kondii, Gimbal, and Lumi are beloved ambassadors of Bear-ier Solutions.
More than working dogs, they’re family—and an unforgettable part of the mission.