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Come Learn About Black Bears in New York and Provide Your Input
The DEC seeks input on future bear management
The Department of Environmental Conservation's (DEC) Bureau of Wildlife announces a meeting on New York's Black Bear population - focusing on the Catskills and Hudson Valley. A DEC black bear specialist will provide an overview of the natural history and current status of black bear populations and management in New York. The public will also have the opportunity to give input and suggest changes that could be made to bear hunting and bear management to enhance hunter satisfaction and participation, and to address the expanding black bear population and efforts to minimize bear-human conflicts.
The meeting will provide information on common bearhuman interactions and the typical attractants that entice bears into human environments. Removing the common attractants such as garbage, pet food, greasy BBQ grills, and bird seed is critical for reducing bearhuman conflicts. Unfortunately, a bear which learns of such easy meals can develop increasingly bold behavior when in search of food and become a chronic nuisance.
Bears have had secure populations in the Adirondacks, Catskill and Allegany regions for many years and more recently have begun to expand into other areas due to conservative hunting regulations and because of the reforestation of much of New York. Here in the Hudson Valley, bears are routinely seen in Dutchess and portions of Putnam County. In recent years the number of transient bears has also been on the rise in Westchester County. While wild black bears pose little risk to and will generally avoid people, as with any animal, interactions and issues can arise when numbers grow. This is particularly true if people aren't aware of appropriate behaviors and practices when sharing the landscape with bears.
The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 26, from 7- 9pm at the NYSDEC Stony Kill Farm Environmental Education Center, Route 9D, 2 miles north of I-84, Wappinger Falls.
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