Un-bear-able: Vernon wants DEP head to see bear problem first-hand

VERNON-Concerned about a spate of incidents involving aggressive bears and irritated at the state's failure to come up with a method of controlling the bear population, the Vernon Township Council Monday night resolved to invite N.J. Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bradley Campbell to come to town to see first-hand what local officials are dealing with. "This is a law of numbers," said Councilman Neil Desmond. "We've had dogs killed. We've had other animals killed. We've had bears enter homes. Sooner or later, something's going to happen and we're not going to like the result." "We are on the road to having an incident in which somebody's going to get hurt," agreed Councilman Phil Weiler. "And then we're going to be saying, ‘Coulda, shoulda woulda.'" In recent weeks (see related story on page 3) in the Barry Lakes and Highland Lakes sections of the township, two dogs have been killed by bears and two homes have been invaded. In one of the home invasions, the homeowner locked herself in her basement in fear. Police shot and killed one bear when it acted aggressively. In 2003, the year before New Jersey reinstituted its bear hunt, there were 263 calls to local police about bears, according to Desmond. In 2004, after the hunt culled the population throughout Sussex County, the number of complaints dropped by more than half, Desmond said. Campbell stopped the second scheduled hunt last year and the bear population rebounded, although no one knows exactly to what extent. This year, Desmond said, police have already fielded as many bear calls as they did all in of last year. "We're on pace to pretty much double 2004's numbers," he said. "It's alarming the number of enter-home attempts that are on these reports." One bear, he said, entered a car. What annoyed the officials was that Campbell received a report in March about the bear situation but has yet to act on it. That's what prompted the council to resolve to write Campbell and ask for a meeting — not in Trenton, but in the township. "Have him come here and see first-hand Vernon's bear problem," Desmond said. Sportsmen's groups say that resuming the annual hunt is the only effective way to control the population. Anti-hunt activists say many if not most incidents can be avoided by storing garbage properly and reconditioning problem bears. To control the population, they advocate various forms of birth control, including sterilization and birth-control implants. The council was careful not to advocate any specific method of population control. "I don't want this to come across as, ‘Councilman Desmond wants a bear hunt,'" Desmond said. "I don't own a gun. I've never fired a gun. I don't even know how to put a worm on a hook. I am not pro-hunt or anti-hunt. I'm pro-Vernon." The growing number of bear incidents has brought the issue of how township residents store their garbage to the fore. Also at Monday's meeting were representatives of the Bear Education and Resource Group n B.E.A.R. n a pro-bear anti-hunt organization that wants to help humans and ursines live together. Earlier this year, the group cooperated with neighboring Hardyston Township to offer bear-proof garbage cans with screw-on lids at less than half price to local residents. Hardyston used its state Clean Communities grant to help defray the cost of the cans. The B.E.A.R. group coordinated installing handles on the cans and distributing them to residents. Dave Stewart of Vernon, a member of the group, brought one of the bright yellow cans to the meeting and asked the council to allow the group to use the parking lot at the municipal building to take orders for the cans and distribute them. The council was initially concerned about taking business away from McAfee Hardware and Heaven Hill Farms, local businesses that sell the cans at a minimal mark-up. Assured that the owners of neither business objected to the B.E.A.R. group holding its own sale, the council agreed to allow use of the town lot. But, the council told Stewart, Vernon has already allocated its Clean Communities grant and cannot subsidize the sales as Hardyston did. Bears love garbage, and sows that feed on human leftovers have more cubs than those that have to forage for themselves in the woods. The easy availability of garbage also draws bears to residential areas. Sometimes, when they can't find what they're looking for, they break into homes, especially if windows are open and they can smell food inside. Two weeks ago, B.E.A.R. activist Susan Stringfield had urged the council to enforce township laws requiring residents to store their garbage in cans with closed lids. Monday, she returned with pictures of dumpsters overflowing with garbage behind stores in the A&P Plaza on Route 15. She talked of families of bears strolling down each morning to gorge on the garbage and urged the council to require that dumpsters have secured metal lids. She has also said that many residents in the lakes communities put their garbage out in plastic bags instead of in cans. Deputy Mayor Janet Morrison explained that people who not at home all day believe an empty container on the street is a signal to burglars that no one is home. She said she knew of at least three break-ins in the area attributed to that simple signal. "Communitywide garbage control is necessary to prevent bears from frequenting our neighborhoods," said Stringfield. "No home [should] attract bears to the neighborhood, either intentionally or unintentionally," she said. "About 70 percent of bear complaints are associated with garbage. Serious garbage management results in fewer bears in the neighborhood, fewer nuisance complaints, fewer police responses necessary and fewer bears needlessly euthanized. A win-win for bears and people. "What's more, expert biologists have determined that fatter bears reproduce more often and have more cubs per litter than leaner bears. We can influence bear population growth by eliminating our garbage from their food supply." Vernon provides no municipal garbage removal service. Although some neighborhood or homeowners associations contract with collection companies, it is up to the individual resident to ensure the proper disposal of household waste, usually through a private contractor, although residents may take their own trash to the the Sussex County Landfill on Route 94 in Lafayette for a modest fee.