Bear Facts and Opinions

To the Editor:

The bear breakfasting at our bird feeder Tuesday morning was unexpected but no surprise. This is not the first time the bird feeder has been brought down. If our bird feeder is a gauge, bears have been in Paugussett North State Forest for at least three years. It is just that this bear has become more visible, which is unfortunate for the neighborhood and unfortunate for the bear,

Hibernating bears emerge from their dens in the spring ravenously hungry. In fact, a bear’s entire waking existence is focused on solving the food problem. Bears are omnivores, but the black bear diet primarily is vegetarian — seeds, nuts, berries and herbage. In fact, in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park it has been observed that the bear population flourishes or wanes with succeeding year’s success or failure of the acorn harvest.

Bears also are food opportunists. A bear that discovers and begins raiding human food sources on a regular basis is known as a conditioned bear. A bear happily will abandon the efforts of digging tubers and hunting acorns or berries if it can feed just as easily from your garbage can and my bird feeder.

And herein lies a problem. The word goes, a fed bear is a dead bear. At best a bear that becomes such a nuisance will have to be removed. At worse it will have to be destroyed.

The bear that appeared at our bird feeder Tuesday morning has emerged from its den a bit early. A few years ago my wife, Martha, and I attended a black bear seminar sponsored by the University of Tennessee in the Smokies. It was mid-April. We were unable to spot signs of active bears, although we did locate an occupied den. Mid-April is early for much bear activity, even in the milder southern climate of East Tennessee.

The Paugussett Forest bear has emerged early, before greening of vegetation. With natural food sources still scarce, it appears to be exploring an alternate source, human food sources. This is unfortunate.

My wife and I hesitated to send The Bee the picture of the bear at our bird feeder. We did not want to draw undue attention or alarm to the bear’s existence. However, it was a rather neat picture, so we sent it anyway after waiting a day.

Channel 8 TV news seemed baffled Saturday when I refused an interview to discuss the “dangerous” (my word, their implication) bear in my back yard. This bear does not need more publicity. I am told a couple of local radio disc jockeys last week were doing some air-headed thing about chasing the bear through Brookfield. (It is in Newtown, boys.) We don’t need that.

This is not like discovering a great white shark in a town swimming pool. The Paugussett State Forest is a wilderness area. Bears historically were a part of that wilderness. I am delighted they have returned. I hope they can coexist as good neighbors.

I hike the state forest frequently. Each time I breathe a silent word of appreciation to Polly Brody who saved that wonderful, natural place from a developer’s destruction. I only regret we were unable to save also the unique natural area adjoining it across Sanford Road, which has since become a development, Lafayette Trail.

Bears are marvelous creatures. I have admired them from a comfortable distance in Denali in Alaska. I have encountered them “close-up and personal” while backpacking the Appalachian Trail through the Smokies.

I only hope the Paugussett bear or bears remain in the forest and do not become human conditioned, nuisance bears. In the onslaught of population growth and developer’s pressures, this is increasingly difficult. Time is critical if we are to preserve for this and future generations the possibility of enjoying the open spaces and great wilderness areas that remain, and the bears with them.

James Wright

13 Tamarack Road, Sandy Hook                                                                                                April 12, 2004