NJ Governor On Non-Lethal Bear Management

LifeNRA · March 10, 2007

Instead of allowing hunters to pay the state to control New Jersey’s black bear population, Gov. Jon Corzine will throw nearly a million dollars at a non-lethal black bear management program.

Gov. Corzine has proposed to squander $850,000 on a public education program to teach humans and black bears that they should avoid each other. The governor is a staunch opponent of a proven, revenue-earning bear control method – bear hunting - but has proposed to fund a plan, which in no way controls the state’s increasing bear population.

“This is a total waste of money and it has nothing to do with managing bears,” said George Howard, executive director of the New Jersey State Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs. “The hunt proposed by the Fish and Game Council is the only real way to control the bear population.”

Gov. Corzine’s plan will focus on northwestern counties – “bear country” – even though black bears have been seen in every county in the state. Officials will use rubber buckshot and dogs to chase or tree bears. The hope is that bears will associate the harassment with yard intrusion.

The plan also calls for the hiring of additional personnel, including wildlife technicians to remove nuisance bears and conservation officers. It begs the question – will the policy result in anything other than frustrated bears?

Howard sums up the issue, saying, “There are probably better uses for the money than funding anti-hunting plans. This is a real mistake.”

Strut10 · March 11, 2007