Event looks at living with bears

Whether you love them or hate them, a bear encounter is something few forget. These mighty, mostly solitary creatures have long been a part of the everyday lives of those of us living in mountainous areas of Virginia, but black bears now live in almost every county in the commonwealth and bear-human encounters are becoming increasingly common. They’re suddenly there on the hiking trail, or taking down a bird feeder in the middle of the night, or foraging among the crops we rely on for our living.

They were here in Virginia long before us, and what is often referred to as a “bear problem” might more accurately be termed a “people problem”—as in too many people taking over and destroying bear habitat. The bear population is “healthy and sustainable,” according to the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries Web site, but “even as our black bear population grows and expands, at the same time, residential areas are encroaching into the forested lands and habitats used by bears and other wildlife…”

We humans are not going to go away and, with careful management, neither are the bears, so the best thing for us is to learn to live with our ursine neighbors. This Saturday, June 6 at the Rappahannock County High School, DGIF bear expert Jaime Sajecki will explain how. Sajecki will start her talk with the DGIF video “Living with Black Bears in Virginia,” and will then answer questions from the audience.

“Most fears about black bears are perpetuated by misinformation and sensationalism” said Sajecki. “One of the most important things we can do for both people and bears is to replace all of the misinformation and unfair perceptions with facts based on science and biology.” 

Bears need a lot of food to keep fueled, and they’re opportunistic omnivores, eating mostly plants in the spring, berries, and insects in the summer, and nuts and berries in the fall. Bears have been observed capturing live animals and will also eat carrion. Living in their territory means having to be careful with garbage, bird feeders, and other potential bear attractants. It also mean managing pets, who may not have a good grasp of bear etiquette. Sajecki will explain how to minimize the chances of attracting bears and how farmers, orchard owners, and beekeepers can keep bears away.

What do you want to know about bears? Here are some bear facts, from the DGIF Web site, to get you started thinking:

• Bears may feed up to 20 hours per day, accumulating fat (energy) before denning up for winter.

• Bear habitat must include food, water, cover, denning sites and diverse habitat types. Although bears are thought to be a mature forest species, they often use a variety of habitat types, including old fields and clear cuts or other timber harvest areas.

• Bears live in dens over the winter. In Virginia, most bears den in large, hollow trees. Other den types include fallen trees, rock cavities, brush piles in timber cut areas, open ground nests, and man-made structures (culvert pipe).

• Bears will not eat, drink, urinate, or defecate while denning. They’re easily aroused and may be active during warm winter days.

• Female black bears usually breed every other year, as cubs are raised by their mother for about one year. When the mother is ready to breed again, she will send her cubs to fend for themselves during the summer months when food is usually abundant. Always hungry, these yearling bears, particularly the males, will seek easy sources of food. The ability to access human-related food sources can spell trouble for these bears.

• Bears may live up to 30 years in the wild. The oldest documented wild bear in Virginia was 26 years of age when it was killed.

The presentation, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., is free and open to the public. For information, contact RLEP board member Marshall Jones, at (540) 987-3105 or . After the presentation, information about bears and Sajecki’s program will also be posted on the RLEP Web site, http://www.rlep.org.