Conservation Corner w/ Anthony P. Mauro, Sr

USA --(Ammoland.com)- Between the frequent media coverage that black bears receive in New Jersey, and reports of melodramatic behavior by a few bear devotees spouting sensational claims, it seems as if black bears now rank with Real Housewives of New Jersey and Jersey Shore for a share of celebrity status.

But bears are not celebrities and it is detrimental to both bears and people for them to be treated as such.

As much as we enjoy assigning human qualities to bears in cartoons, advertising and Disney theme parks, these unreal depictions act to impede our understanding of the important role bears play in healthy ecosystems and diminish the animal’s significance as a living thing.

Bears rely on instinct to navigate the course of their daily lives, whereas humans use rational thought. These are two distinctly different points of reference and they create wide gaps in our ability to communicate and interpret the intentions the other, which leaves plenty of room for misunderstandings.

Food and fear largely drive the behavior of black bears. These large plantigrades are carnivorous or omnivorous mammals with strong claws. They live in largely forested areas, but will leave forests in search of food. Bears are often attracted to human communities because of the immediate availability of food.

Regarding food, there are currently parts of New Jersey that appear to be experiencing a low producing wild blueberry crop and poor oak mast production. Blueberries and mast are staples of the black bear diet. If we add a possible food shortage to the doubling of the bear population since 2005 we have the formula for increases in bear and human contact and a potential for conflict.

While black bears are shy by nature, and fatal and nonfatal bear attacks are very rare, it would be irresponsible to ignore that attacks occur. In the book, “Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance,” Dr. Stephen Herrero reports that in the period between 1900 and 1980 twenty people were involved in a fatal black bear attack. He reports that of those twenty fatalities, eighteen appear to be from predaceous black bears, meaning, they viewed humans as prey and attacked for food. Since 1980 there have been approximately 32 deaths by black bears – 13 of those occurred since the year 2000.

Recent scientific studies of the history of black bear attacks have revealed that the majority of these strikes have been in areas of expanding population. Scientists speculate that the attacks are a result of a population of black bears coming into contact with humans for the first time.

It is beneficial for both bears and humans that contact is minimized. While bear education programs and secured trash cans are helpful in limiting bear/human conflicts they do nothing to control the expanding bear population. They also do not help to aversively condition bears so that they have a healthy fear of humans.

Dr. Len Wolgast is an expert on black bears. He is Professor Emeritus Wildlife Ecology and Management Rutgers University, was the primary author of the 2005 Comprehensive Black Bear Management Policy, and also served as a Fish and Game Council member. Regarding black bear management Dr. Wolgast states:

“New Jersey presently supports a black bear population which far exceeds the number of animals that can exist without causing too many problems for the residents of our state. The only cost effective tool that is available to reduce the bear population to a more tolerable level is hunting. The three most recent New Jersey bear seasons (2003, 2005, and 2010) have occurred under a very conservative format. They were designed to slow the growth of the bear population and gather data. It is my opinion that future bear hunting seasons will need to be designed to reduce the density of New Jersey’s bear population.”

Hunting not only effectively manages bear populations but is a valuable tool for conditioning bears to respect the living space of humans. As with all game, bear is used as a source of food for hunters and their families.

Black bears are magnificent creatures. Decisions made by New Jersey conservationists more than thirty years ago are the basis for today’s flourishing population. But, humans have a history of being unforgiving when one of our own is harmed and we have a responsibility to black bears to ensure that they are not the subject of our reactive and callous natures.

Black bears deserve our awe and respect, but they aren’t celebrities and it is irresponsible to treat them as such.

Color The Green Movement Blue

About:
Anthony P. Mauro, Sr, (also known as “Ant” to friends and associates) is Chairman and co-founder of the New Jersey Outdoor Alliance.

In addition to NJOA, Ant’s commitment to the principles of sustainable use of natural resources and stewardship for the environment helped to found the New Jersey Angling & Hunting Conservation Caucus. The NJAHC is the first outdoor caucus of its kind in New Jersey and is designed to educate opinion leaders and policy makers of the principles of conservation and the benefits that confer to the state’s wildlife and ecology.

A lifelong resident of New Jersey, Ant is an international big game hunter and avid conservationist. He has authored two books on conservation and hunting, including “Color The Green Movement Blue“.

Visit the Conservation Corner Blog

New Jersey Outdoor Alliance

TRENTON, NJ --(Ammoland.com)- If you’re the type of person that is interested in conservation and environmental health, if you believe that anglers and hunters are the true environmental stewards and if you think that New Jerseyans need to find their way back to nature, I’d like to invite you to visit “Conservation Corner.”

Conservation Corner is a place to read about the workings of conservation; whether it applies to environmental stewardship, ecosystem health, fishing, hunting, forestry practices or caring for the integrity of our waters.

It is a place to get in touch with the essence of our natural environment. Although it is my personal “blog” it is written in conjunction with the interests of New Jersey Outdoor Alliance and is targeted to everyone with an appreciation for the outdoors.

It is free of charge, educational and there is no personal monetary gain. There’s even a forum for people to freely discuss their ideas. So please take a moment and visit “Conservation Corner.”

Save the link as one of your favorites and visit as often as you like.

www.anthonypmaurosr.webs.com/apps/blog/

JOIN NJOA: http://www.njoutdooralliance.org/support/njoa.html

About:
NJOA – The mission of New Jersey Outdoor Alliance is to serve as a grassroots coalition of outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen dedicated to environmental stewardship. We will champion the intrinsic value of natural resource conservation – including fishing, hunting and trapping, among opinion leaders and policy makers. We will support legislation, and those sponsoring legislation, that provides lasting ecological and social enrichment through sustainable use of the earths resources. Visit: www.njoutdooralliance.org

Pheasants Forever

Saint Paul, Minn. – -(AmmoLand.com)- Pheasants Forever is expanding its Farm Bill Biologist program in North Dakota with the addition of two new positions created in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and local Soil Conservation Districts. Matthew Olson of Fort Ransom, North Dakota, is the new Farm Bill Biologist based out of Forman and Jeff Potts of Watertown, South Dakota, is the new Farm Bill Biologist based out of Dickinson.

Pheasants Forever’s Farm Bill Biologist program is designed to educate farmers and landowners – through one-on-one consulting – about the benefits of conservation programs (such as the federal Conservation Reserve Program, or CRP), as well as assist those farmers and landowners after programs have been implemented. Pheasants Forever first began employing Farm Bill Biologists in 2003 and now has over 45 Farm Bill Biologists working in seven states – Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Farm Bill Biologists have contacted and consulted over 28,000 landowners, resulting in the improvement of over 1.3 million acres of land for wildlife.

“These positions come at an especially critical juncture for North Dakota, where nearly 775,000 acres have expired from the wildlife-friendly CRP in the past five years and another 1.8 million acres are slated to expire in the next five years,” said Jim Inglis, Pheasants Forever’s Farm Bill Biologist Coordinator, “With continuous CRP practices and other conservation programs, landowners have numerous conservation options. The challenge has always been informing them, and these Farm Bill Biologists meet that challenge head on.”

Matthew Olson
A native of Fort Ransom, North Dakota, Olson joins Pheasants Forever after four years with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. An avid outdoorsman, Olson has an excellent knowledge of the Forman and surrounding area. Olson earned his B.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Management from North Dakota State University. He is based out of the Wild Rice Soil Conservation District Office in Forman and can be contacted at (701) 724-3247 or via email at molson@pheasantsforever.org.

Jeff Potts
Potts joins Pheasants Forever after earning his B.S. in Wildlife Fisheries and Science from South Dakota State University. He already has extensive experience in the natural resource field, having worked previously with the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks as a wildlife technician and a land/habitat intern. Potts is based out of the NRCS office in Dickinson and can be contacted at (701) 225-3811 x118 or via email at jpotts@pheasantsforever.org.

Pheasants Forever also has a Farm Bill Biologist position in Jamestown, North Dakota. Steve Stensgard can be contacted at the Jamestown NRCS office (701)252-2521 ext. 129 or via email at SStensgard@pheasantsforever.org. For more information on Pheasants Forever’s Farm Bill Biologist program, contact Jim Inglis, Pheasants Forever’s Farm Bill Biologist Coordinator, at (419) 569-1096 or via email at jinglis@pheasantsforever.org.

About:
Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever are non-profit conservation organizations dedicated to the protection and enhancement of pheasant, quail, and other wildlife populations in North America through habitat improvement, land management, public awareness, and education. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever has 125,000 members in 700 local chapters across the continent.

For additional information please visit www.PheasantsForever.org and www.QuailForever.org