by Timothy Rutt

Two student filmmakers from John Muir High School won a $500 first place award from the California Division of Fish and Wildlife for their bear awareness film.

Jose Nuno and Alex Burgos competed in the Division's annual Bear Aware Film Contest, to raise awareness about  securing food and trash in black bear habitat.

"This is our second year holding the Bear Aware Film Contest, and we were very impressed with the thoughtfulness and creativity that went into these films,” said Marc Kenyon, CDFW’s bear program manager. “The contest is a great way to engage our youth in helping to conserve our natural resources while also informing the public about their responsibilities in keeping black bears wild.”

Second prize of $300 went to Hasmik Djoulakian from Clark Magnet School in Glendale, and the third-place prize of $200 went to Chase Baker, Erik Bakhshi and Boris Kitapszyan, also from Clark Magnet School.

The film contest, which focused on student in the San Gabriel Valley, was made possible by donations from Sierra Club ($600) and Bass Pro Shop in Rancho Cucamonga ($400).