Natalie, technically 'brown bear' is a synonym for a grizzly bear. Even though they come in all shades of black and brown (including cinnamon and 'dirty blonde' hues : ) ), the non-grizzlies are called black bears. (See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A...)
I've had absolutely no experience with grizzlies (and I count my blessings because they're unpredictable), but I worked as a ranger in Yosemite after college full-time for three years (which is grizzly-free) and have lots of black bear stories. : ) Overall, just as Alex mentioned, as long as you don't get between a mother and her cubs they're not dangerous to people. Not keeping food in a car or in a refrigerator on an unenclosed back porch should be enough to prevent property damage.
I hope you don't have any encounters, but they are rather interesting to watch! : )
All the best - Elizabete
