Anti-bear hunt activists stage protest simulation

VERNON — About a dozen anti-bear hunt activists staged simulated protests on Saturday to call attention to pending legislation that would mandate bear resistant garbage cans and prohibit the practice of baiting when hunting bears.

The simulation was held outside a home in the Lake Wanda section of Vernon that directly abuts Wawayanda State Park, a popular bear-hunting venue.

According to a prepared statement by Vernon resident and event coordinator Angi Metler, who also is the director of the Bear Education And Resource (BEAR) program, “The New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) allows massive baiting of bears and deer. Susan Kehoe and I (local high profile bear activists) went through the process of getting our firearms permits, successfully completed the hunter education course, have hunting licenses and bear permits. We did this to expose what hunters do, how easy it is to legally feed bears, and how the practice of baiting causes the very problems the DFW says hunting solves.”

Metler said easy access to household garbage and bait used in both deer and black bear hunting results in changes in bears’ behavior and foraging habits. She also believes these unnatural food sources affect the bear population by increasing reproductive rates, and the bears’ physical size and numbers, while reducing the bears’ natural range in the wild.

She also maintains that baiting bears in the forest also results in bears frequenting nearby residential areas.

Last week, Metler was among those who testified before the New Jersey Senate’s Economic Growth Committee in support of the so-called “Bear Smart Bill.” Senate Bill S2369 was introduced by State Sen. Raymond Lesniak, a Democrat from Union County. The bill passed the committee by a vote of 3-2.

Although the bill would have little effect on residents of Union County, it could significantly effect “Bear Country” residents in Sussex, Warren, Passaic, Morris, and northwestern Bergen counties.

The bill would require the use of bear-resistant containers, dumpsters, and campground food boxes in areas located in “black bear habitat” under certain circumstances, including garbage collection, and prohibits certain actions that would result in feeding of black bears.

The bill also seeks to ban the practice of baiting bears and deer for hunting in areas that include a significant black-bear population.

Although prohibiting the use of bait in hunting would personally affect relatively few residents, the requirement to purchase bear-resistant garbage containers would have a significant effect on bear country residents. The popular yellow screw-lid containers are priced in the $60-plus-range, while the more convenient “easy release” containers start at twice that amount.

Another consequence on many or most homes having the screw-lid containers is that trash collectors will be required to spend more time and effort when opening the containers. This could, in turn, result in higher fees for garbage collection.

On the local level, state Sen. Steve Oroho voted against releasing the bill from committee, citing that a mandate to force residents to purchase the special bear-resistant containers would be unfair.

An attempt to get more information from Oroho’s office was unsuccessful before press time.