Bearproof garbage cans, mandating morning garbage can placement instead of night before........... and putting aside more contiguous open space-key to New Jersey Black Bear population thriving alongside the Nation's most densely populated State

KEEPING YOU UPDATED ON THE CONTINUING BEAR HUNT CONTROVERSY CURRENTLY BEING DEBATED INNEW JERSEY WHERE IN ACTUALITY THE NUISANCE BEARS THAT LIVE CLOSE TO PEOPLE WOULD NOT REALLY BE THE TARGET OF HUNTERS ..........REALISTICALLY, RURAL WOODLAND BEARS WOULD END UP CULLED IF A CHRISTMAS 2010 HUNT IS INSTITUTED.............NOT REALLY A GOOD SOLUTION TO ACCOMPLISH HUMANS AND BEARS CO-EXISTING...........WHICH STARTS AND ENDS WITH THREE PARAMETERS BEING INSTITUTED ASAP:

------ GARBAGE CANS NOT TO BE PUT OUT THE NIGHT BEFORE PICKUP AND INSTEAD PLACED CURBSIDE THE DAY OF PICKUP

 

-------ALL RESIDENTS BEING PROVIDED BEARPROOF GARBAGE CANS SUCCESSFULLY UTILIZED IN YELLOWSTONE, GLACIER AND OTHER HABITATS THAT GRIZZLIES STILL CALL HOME-----IF A GRIZ CANNOT OPEN THESE CANS, OUR SMALLER BLACK BRUINS WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GET A FREE HUMAN DISPOSED MEAL

 

------NEW JERSEY AND LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES ACROSS THE USA TO CREATE LARGER OPEN SPACE Z0NES AND CONNECTIVE CORRIDORS SO AS TO ALLOW FOR BLACK BEARS TO ROAM THE TERRITORIES THAT DO NOT GET THEM KILLED VERSUS PARADING THROUGH SUBURBAN NEIGHBORHOODS FOR TRASH LEFT UNCOVERED...................................

 

New Jersey environment group finds potential bear hunt unbearable

State hasn't OK'd a hunt but Sierra Club campaigning against idea

BY TOM HESTER SR.

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

The Sierra Club of New Jersey is so convinced the state government will allow a bear hunt in December that it is launching a campaign to oppose it.

"It's never been about managing bears, it's only about hunting bears," Jeff Tittel, Sierra Club director, said of the developing Department of Environmental Protection bear management plan.

"New Jersey has basically eliminated funds for bear management, including cutting the bear warden program as well as reducing funds for conservation officers, cutting education programs and bear aversion therapy, and other non-lethal methods of management,'' Tittel charged. "(DEP) Commissioner Martin never met with groups that are working on non-lethal management plans. Because of the cuts, there are not enough conservation officers to deal with the complaints and bear-human interactions. By cutting funds, the state has eliminated the possibility of any type of effective bear management program and is now looking towards a hunt, which will not solve the problem of nuisance bears.''

Larry Ragonese, a DEP spokesman, said no decision has been made about whether to allow a bear hunt.

"The comment period for the black bear management program runs through June 18,'' he said. "Afterwards, the DEP will respond to comments. The (state) Fish and Game Council will consider the issue, and then DEP Commissioner Martin will get the issue. Expect a likely final decision in August on a bear hunt.''

Ragonese said the proposed black bear management plan also includes education, proper trash disposal methods in bear country, a look at bear habitat and other features.

"If a hunt is approved, it would likely take place in early December,'' Ragonese. "But approval has not occurred yet.''

The state approved bear hunts in 2003 and 2005. Hunts were considered in 1988 and 2004. The issue has always been a source of controversy.

"This is a recreational hunt,'' Tittel said of a potential hunt. "Most of the hunting will occur in public lands in the middle of the forests, not in the areas where nuisance bears, are living. A real management hunt would be a zonal hunt where hunters start at the perimeter of each of zone and move from where the development is
toward the center of the zone, trying to eliminate bears living closest to human populations.''

Tittel said he believes the current policy of getting rid of problem bears is working. Bears that prove to be aggressive are euthanized, eliminating those that are the biggest threat to the public or property.

"Human-bear interactions and bear-related complaints can often be attributed to a singular nuisance bear within a region,'' Tittel said. "These bears are living behind sheds and under decks and will not be targeted by the bear hunt. The bears that will ultimately pay the price of a hunt will be those living in the forests that do not venture into neighborhoods and communities. Eliminating these docile bears is not part an effective bear management plan.''

Tittel said the most important component in an effective bear management plan is education. He said more than 500,000 New Jerseyans live in bear country, but many of them do not have the expertise or experience to understand bears and know how to avoid confrontations with them.

"At the most basic level, people need to be taught that bears are wild animals and should be treated with respect and from a distance,'' Tittel said. "people must be educated that feeding bears as they would pets is dangerous and will lead to aggressive behavior in the future.''

Tittel said whether or not there is a hunt, the state and residents must deal with garbage and food sources on private property.

"The state needs to mandate no garbage out at night, bear-proof containers and locking dumpsters,'' Tittel said. "If we don't do something about garbage, no matter what there will always be bear problems in New Jersey. This plan is garbage since it fails to deal with the most important issue -- garbage."

Here is what Tittel said New Jersey should do to manage its bear population:

Protect habitat: Every year the state loses 8,000-10,000 acres of land in bear country. The more we build houses in the middle of the woods where bears live, the more conflict we will see between bears and humans.

Non-lethal methods of dealing with conflicts between bears and humans:

• One of the most important programs that has been cut is bear aversion therapy, which trains bears to be afraid of humans and, thus, to avoid them.
• Bear-proofing important public areas: The state should work with towns and municipalities to put up fencing and take other steps to keep bears out of key areas, such as playgrounds.
• Working with farmers: The state needs to cooperate with the agricultural sector to provide small grants to farmers that allow them to bear-proof their properties and protect them from potential damage.
• Conservation officers: The state should have conservation officers and bear wardens to address bear complaints and educate the public about bears.
• Garbage: The state must mandate no garbage out at night, as well bear-proof containers and locking dumpsters.
• Education: People living in bear country need to be educated about bear-proofing and how to deal with a bear on their property.

"The black bear is a symbol that we still have wild places in New Jersey and the whole state has not been paved over with subdivisions and strip malls," Tittel said. "As New Jersey continues to suburbanize and more people move into bear country, we should be managing bears and protecting habitat instead of getting rid of the bears. We shouldn't have a hunt just because it may be hard to sell condos in Vernon to people in Brooklyn because there are bears in the area."