Page 26 - SEPT2024

Page 26 NEWFOUNDLAKELIFE.COM
September 2024
Be Responsible to Avoid Conflicts with Bears Now and Through the Fall
CONCORD – Granite State residents and visitors are being re- minded to remain responsible and do their part to prevent bear con- flicts during the remainder of sum- mer and through the fall. While natural foods have become much more abundant since spring, bears can still be tempted by common attractants such as unsecured gar- bage, bird feeders, unprotected poultry, and handouts at camp- grounds, parks, and on hiking trails.
“Overall bear – human conflicts have been average this year, but agency wildlife biologists continue to invest a lot of time in addressing conflicts related to accessible gar- bage, unsecured chicken coops and bird feeders,” said Andrew Tim-
mins, Game Programs Supervisor for the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. “These attrac- tants are the root of over 75% of the annual bear calls and are pe- rennial from one year to the next, often at the same locations. The public can prevent attracting bears by making some changes on their end. If bears are getting into your garbage, try something different like storing garbage in a secure build- ing or going to the transfer station more frequently. Most dumpsters lack metal, locking tops and are easily accessible by bears and other wildlife. Reach out to your waste management company and request adequate tops that keep bears out. If you raise poultry, invest in elec- tric fencing that protects the birds.
The Fish and Game Depart- ment loans out a hundred or more electric fences each summer to protect poultry from bear damage. The purpose of the loan pro- gram is to demonstrate the effectiveness of the equipment to help con- vince poultry owners to
make the investment.” “The presence of bears on hiking trails in the
White Mountains has been widely publicized in recent weeks,” said Dan Bailey, Bear Project Leader for the New Hampshire Fish and Game De- partment. “These re- ports were related to what appeared to be a single, juvenile bear
exhibiting begging behavior in an area heavily utilized by hikers. Over a million people hike in the White Mountains each summer without incident and seeing a bear on the trail is not uncommon. Bears and hikers need to share space. While most bears will run off when they smell, see, or hear you, bears that are tossed food by hikers may de- velop panhandling behavior. This is not aggressive behavior. Rather it is a bear manipulating humans for a food reward.”
“The public should not feel uncomfortable enjoying the out- doors,” said Timmins. “Bears are just another native, wild animal that occupies our forests. People and bears can successfully coexist but it requires increased human responsi- bility to eliminate food attractants.”
Help coexist with bears and avoid conflicts:
containers inside a garage or adequate storage area, and put garbage out on the morning of pickup, not the night before. If using a dumpster, inform your dumpster company that you need one with metal locking tops and doors that are inacces- sible to bears and other wildlife.
• Never put meat scraps in your compost pile.
• Don’t leave pet food dishes outside overnight.
• Clean and store outdoor grills after each use.
• Never deliberately feed bears. You will be encouraging these animals to rely on human-re- lated foods which will affect their wild behavior and reduce their chance of survival.
• Always utilize a food storage container when backcountry camping or hiking.
• Secure food in a locked vehi- cle or outbuilding when front country (i.e., car) camping.
Visit https://bearwise.org/ for helpful information on living re- sponsibly with black bears.
If you have questions regard- ing bear-related issues, you can get advice by calling the NH Fish and Game Department’s Wildlife Divi- sion at (603) 271- 2461.
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Stop feeding wild birds by April 1. If you live south of the White Mountains, consider re- moving bird feeders by March 15 or at the onset of spring-like weather conditions, whichev- er comes first since conditions fluctuate throughout the state.
Clean up any spilled birdseed and dispose of it in a secured trash container.
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• Secure all garbage in airtight