No longer running 'Bear'.(Teddy Mather)(Brief article)

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Add Teddy Mather to the list that already includes Mitt Romney, Bill Richardson and Mike Huckabee.

Truth be told, Mather faced an uphill climb since he was a one-issue candidate (making national parks a priority) and has faded out of the campaign for President of the United States.

Oh, and he's also a guy in a bear suit as part of an awareness campaign by the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), which celebrates its centennial in 2016. He's named for President Teddy Roosevelt and Stephen Mather, the first National Park Service director and founder of the NPCA.

Not unlike other, human candidates, Teddy had a campaign Web site, even incorporating campaign ads and testimonials, as well as a blog to provide updates on activities.

Teddy appeared at a global warming forum this past December to get the attention of participants--Sens. Hillary Clinton and John Edwards and Rep. Dennis Kucinich--but was rebuffed at the door by the U.S. Secret Service. The incident garnered some media attention for Teddy, who was able to present a 50,000-signature petition to the presidential candidates.

"The goal was to get the candidates to talk about the national parks, and we achieved that to some extent," said Dionna Humphery, NPCA's associate director advocacy.

Will NPCA continue to focus the candidates on the national parks? Does a bear, you know, in the woods?

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