Introduction+to+Bear+Hunt

Bear Hunt Debate Introduction Document Page: Bear hunt debate returns Page 1 of 5 Bear hunt debate returns RICHARD COWEN, STAFF WRITERThe Record (Bergen County, NJ) 02-08-20 10   Bear hunt debate returns - Results are due on three studies By RICHARD COWEN, STAFF WRITER Date: 02-08-2010, Monday Section: LOCAL New governor, same old question: What to do about New Jersey’s black bears? The number of bear complaints, sightings and incidents rose for a third consecutive year in 2009, reviving the debate over whether the state has too many bears or too few residents willing to modify their lifestyles so bears won’t want to come by. Unlike his predecessor, Jon Corzine, who favored non-lethal bear management, Governor Christie has said he favors a hunt provided there is enough fresh and reliable scientific data to justify reducing the bear population. The science is nearly in, which likely means another bear hunt controversy is about to begin. Three studies on bear management begun during the Corzine administration are nearly completed. Those studies one assessing the effectiveness of bear-proof trash cans in West Milford, one on aversive conditioning of bears, and the other updating the population are part of the new Black Bear Management Policy. The state Fish and Game Council, which meets Tuesday, plans to introduce the policy in March. Council Chairman Leonard Wolgast says there will be nothing new in the revised policy except for the study results. It will simply carry forward the same control strategies: trash can maintenance, public education and hunting. What will be new is the population estimate, always a hot-button issue. It is being scientifically derived from data collected by state bear biologists, as well as DNA analysis on bear hair samples by scientists at East Stroudsburg University. “This policy will be very similar to the one adopted in 2005,” Woh said. “It includes a bear hunt, as well as all the other non-lethal means of population control, like garbage maintenance, aversive condition and public education. It incorporates all the new research that has been done recently.” Adopting a new Black Bear Management Policy Is the crucial first step toward allowing a bear hunt in December. The state Supreme Court decided in 2004 that the state could not hold a bear hunt unless an updated management policy was in place. http://elibrary .bigchalk.com/elibweb/elib/do/document?setsearch&groupid 1 &requestidli ... 6/2/2010  Document Page: Bear hunt debate returns Page 2 of 5 In addition, the state top court found that although the Fish and Game Council’s role was to help develop the policy, it was subject to final approval from the commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection, who is ultimately responsible for all wildlife management issues. New Jersey’s last bear hunt was in 2005, when hunters killed 298 bruins. A year later, amid mounting pressure from animal lovers, Corzine’s DEP Commissioner Lisa Jackson stopped a planned bear hunt by voiding the bear management policy. Jackson favored giving non-lethal control methods more time to work, and to allow for several state studies to be completed. There has been no bear policy in place since then. The largest study took place in West Milford, where the state funded distribution of 5,000 bear resistant trash cans. It considered whether such cans, placed in test neighborhoods, reduced the number of bear complaints. But the study was plagued with problems in designing and distributing the cans and ensuring residents don’t compromise the study by putting the bear-proof cans next to open containers, which attract bears. “I have photographic evidence of open garbage that is sitting next to bear-resistant trash cans,” said Janet Piszar, director of the Bear Education and Resource group, a West Milford-based group favoring non -lethal controls. The East Stroudsburg study aims to provide a population estimate more accurate than previous ones by state biologists. The prior ones were based on samples from just two of four bear zones in the state’s northwest reaches. Larry Herrighty, assistant director of the DEP’s Division of Fish and Wildlife, said the last population estimation, in 2007, indicated 2,141 bears in those two sections. He said there’s no danger a hunt would wipe out the bruins. “Since 2000, our biologists have believed that this population could support a hunt,” Herrighty said. Once the council introduces a draft of the new policy, it goes to acting DEP Commissioner Bob Martin. If Martin approves the draft, that starts a 60-day comment period. A public hearing is then held, after which the policy can be revised and adopted. Both sides in the bear debate have been down this road before and are getting ready for the fight. The Human Society of the United States recently alerted its New Jersey members to contact Christie by phone and e-mail. “We do not believe that hunting is an effective management tool to handle bear-human conflicts,” said Heather Cammisa, state director for HSUS. “Most conflicts occur in urban and suburban areas because of the availability of food from trash cans and other sources, like bird feeders and compost piles. We believe the effective way of reducing conflict involves removing those food sources. But Ed Markowski, vice president of the New Jersey Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, said the bear numbers have grown too big to ignore. ‘You’re not going to reduce the bear population simply by looking at them,” he said. http://elibrary.bigchalk.eomlelibweb/elib/do/document?set=search&groupid= 1 &requestidli... 6/2/2010  Document Page: Bear hunt debate returns Page 3 of 5 ] email: cowen@northjersey.com Illustrations/Photos: PHOTO - The number of bear complaints, sightings and incidents increased in 2009. Keywords: ANIMAL, HAZARD, PROBE Copyright © 2010 Bergen Record Corp. All rights reserved. Citation for your reference; RICHARD COWEN, STAFF WRITER. “Bear hunt debate returns.” Record (Bergen County, NJ). 08 Feb. 2010: LOt. eL/bran Web. 02 Jun. 2010. RICHARD COWEN, STAFF WRITER. “Bear hunt debate returns.” Record (Bergen County, NJ). 08 Feb. 2010: LOl. ktt. hh,rh 6/2/2010