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"There's a lot more bears out there once you stop the hunt, and the incidents escalate."
"It's inevitable that sometime down the road we're going to have a tragedy," said Bucco. "Once something happens, everybody's going to say 'Why didn't you do something about it?'"
Bear Hunt Debate Stirs Local Passions
Activists praise Corzine, but others warn bruin numbers are on the riseLocal activists who have vehemently opposed lethal methods to control the state's black bear population commended Gov. Jon Corzine's decision that all but canceled this year's bear hunt, while others warned that a hunt is needed to curb the increasing bruin numbers. Corzine's request to seek non-lethal alternatives in lieu of the hunt was praised by Lynda Smith, director of the West Milford-based Bear Education and Resource Group. "The non-lethal alternatives really do work but haven't been given a chance in New Jersey,"said Smith, who cited Colorado, California and Canada as areas where the alternatives have been implemented successfully. But state Sen. Anthony Bucco, R-Boonton, said he doesn't agree non-lethal measures are the answer. "We've tried education ... but that doesn't seem to work. There's a lot more bears out there once you stop the hunt, and the incidents escalate,"said Bucco, who signed a joint statement, along with state Sen. Robert Littell and Littell's daughter, Assemblywoman Alison McHose, both R-Franklin. The statement, issued to the governor's office Monday, said the state Supreme Court had approved the bear management policy from the New Jersey Fish and Game Council. Canceling the hunt, the legislators wrote, was a matter of public safety for the people of northwestern New Jersey. "It's inevitable that sometime down the road we're going to have a tragedy," said Bucco. "Once something happens, everybody's going to say 'Why didn't you do something about it?'" Elaine Makatura, spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Protection, said the total number of bear sightings, reported damage by bears and nuisance bear complaints have decreased statewide by 18.9 percent since the beginning of the year, following last December's hunt. "I believe that there is no one reason the complaints have gone down, but a number of reasons, with the possibility of the hunt being one of them,"Makatura said. Other possible reasons include weather, drought and availability of food sources for the bears in their natural habitat, she said. However, Bucco said he believes the decreasing number of bear complaints is a direct consequence of the hunt, a theory that Sparta resident Marilyn Schwartz agreed with. Schwartz, who is pro-hunt but not a hunter, said she believes the hunt is necessary. "Black bears are probably the most docile of all bears, but also the most unpredictable,"said Schwartz, adding she sees a female bruin amble through her yard every so often. "We leave her alone. She's nonchalant. She doesn't cause any trouble. She doesn't really bother anybody," Schwartz said. "Most black bears are non-aggressive. The problem is when they stop fearing humans." That problem is exactly what concerns Bucco. "We've had reports of bears on the back porches of homes, breaking in to look for food and peering into windows," Bucco said. "It's pretty scary." In Montville, more than a dozen bear sightings were reported to police in the past month in both the Montville and Towaco sections of the township, said township police Capt. Ed Rosellini. But most residents have grown accustomed to seeing the animals, as the number of reports in the township have increased over the past decade, he said. "Most of the people in the area are aware of them now,"said Rosellini, who added the bruin reports tend to be more frequent in October. "It's that time of year and they're trying to bulk up before they go into hibernation," he said. Montville resident Gladys Nemirow believes the reports are exaggerated. "Every person who sees one bear coming through the neighborhood picks up the telephone and calls the police," said Nemirow. "One bear, and one bear alone will travel quite a distance." Nemirow, who wrote letters of thanks to both Corzine and DEP Commissioner Lisa Jackson on their anti-bear hunt stance, said she thinks police should tell residents not to call unless a bear is picking through their garbage or acting aggressively. "Unless they're seeking out food or protecting their cubs, they are no threat to people,"she said. Smith, whose group advocates training police and animal control agencies in bear control tactics, said she also believes a mandatory averse conditioning program should be set for all municipalities statewide. "Right now it's pretty much up to each municipality to decide how involved they're going to get in bear control,"she said. "There should be a statewide mandate to prove they're actively implementing this program."
Tehani Schneider can be reached at (973) 428-6631 or tschneider@gannett.com.
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