HIKERS, campers and anglers will fill the northern woods of New York this summer, and the same fauna and flora that they will be attracted to will also attract bears.
So take precautions against attracting bears your way!
The black bear population is stirring. Female bears are caring for their cubs, adult male bears are seeking out female bears, yearling bears are dispersing from their mother’s home range, and all bears are looking for new food sources.
These activities, says the New York’s Department of Wildlife, create a sharp increase in bear movement across much of upstate New York and increases the chances of encountering a bear.
Although their range in New York is slowly expanding, black bears are primarily found in the Adirondacks, Catskills and along the southern tier. Black bears eat mostly plant material, insects, nuts and berries, but they are opportunists and will take advantage of any alternative food source that is easily accessible, such as pet food or garbage left outside.
Recently, there have been several incidents of bears wandering into residential or urban areas. Often the bear becomes frightened by dogs or people and instinctually climbs a tree. Humans and dogs should stay away from the tree because if the bear senses danger, it will not come down. Once the bear perceives that the danger is gone, it will climb down, escape and probably never return.
If a bear finds a consistent food source in an area frequented by people, such as a campsite, it becomes much more difficult to handle.
This is because it may lose its natural fear of people and become an increased nuisance. Such bears are far more likely to be hit by a car, illegally shot or, in rare situations, destroyed as a threat to people. Some studies suggest that when a bear loses its natural fear of people, its life expectancy is cut by as much as one-half.
The key to preventing most problems between bears and people is to eliminate their artificial food source. Bears are very attracted to bird seed, pet and livestock food, garbage and barbecue grills.
Here are some tips from New York’s wildlife experts to help you prevent problems:
Stop feeding birds after the snow melts in the spring. Spring and summer is when natural food is most abundant. If you feel a need to feed the birds, add cayenne pepper to the seed. This will not bother birds but will deter the bears and squirrels.
Dispose of garbage as frequently as possible. Store your garbage cans inside a building or bear resistant container.
Feed pets indoors and store the pet food indoors.
If you’re camping or cooking outside, clean up after your picnic or barbecue.
Don’t add meat scraps, bones or melon rinds to your compost pile.
And never try to feed a bear. If you see anyone feeding a bear or if you see bears in a dumpster, report the incident to your DEC regional office or call (800) TIPP-DEC.
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THE American Littoral Society, in cooperation with the Gateway National Recreation Area, is offering a Jamaica Bay sunset cruise on Saturday from 5-8 p.m. Meet at Sheepshead Bay, Pier 6 (Emmons Avenue and Dooley Street) at 4:30 p.m. for the three-hour cruise around the marshes and open waters of Jamaica Bay.
This is a real eye-opener of a cruise. Learn about the history, ecology, fish and other marine life of this great urban estuary. The cost is $35. For more information, call Don Riepe at (718) 634-6467.