Black Bear Task Force - Appendix E: 
Black Bear Task Force Issues and Concerns

Black Bear Task Force Report and Recommendations
To The Maryland Department of Natural Resources 
March 28, 2003 

APPENDIX E: BLACK BEAR TASK FORCE ISSUES AND CONCERNS 

Human-Bear Problems 

• Concerned about nuisance bear problems to include: 

a.) Negative impacts caused by bears scavenging in residential trash and associated trash management, particularly around Deep Creek Lake. 

b.) Timeliness of DNR's response to bear complaints, effectiveness of technical assistance, and customer satisfaction. What does a landowner do when they have followed all of DNR's recommendations but the problem persists? 

• Concerned about public safety, e.g. bear-vehicle collisions, harassing campers and homeowners, and injury to humans and pets. The greater the bear population becomes the higher the risk of dealing with potentially aggressive bears. Humans are injured and or killed by black bears in North America. 
  

• Concerned about agricultural damage caused by bears to include destruction of beehives, killing of livestock, and destroying crops (sweet corn, fruit trees, etc.). 

Populations and Habitat 

• Concerned about long term health and bear population viability. 
  

• Concerned that DNR via a public participation process has not identified a black bear population objective for Maryland. 
  

• Concerned that we may not be making the best use of available data in making management decisions regarding black bears. 
  

• Concerned about an apparent lack of conservation law enforcement relative to the enforcement of existing black bear laws and regulations. 
  

• Concerned that there appears not to be an integration of public policy in regards to the management of black bears as a public resource, e.g. there is no black bear habitat conservation plan in place that has inter-jurisdictional support. 

Funding Alternatives 

• Concerned about Maryland's Black Bear damage reimbursement program. With Black Bear damage to agricultural crops ranging from $12K to $20K each year, there is no reason that this fund should not be able to raise enough money to compensate farmers for 100% of eligible bear damage. 
  

• Concerned about the overall impact of the relatively large proportion of DNR's wildlife management budget that is expended on managing bears. The bear resource is relatively expensive to manage and escalating bear management costs have resulted in a reduction in other wildlife program funding, e.g. wildlife habitat conservation and management. 
  

• The charismatic public appeal for this species provides a unique opportunity for alternative wildlife funding initiatives. It can be understood why hunters are frustrated and do not want to continue to pay the majority of the bear management costs when DNR is on record as not supporting a bear hunting season. 
  

• Although not acknowledged by most citizens, restoration and ongoing management (bear research and nuisance control) of the black bear in Maryland has been accomplished with funding provided by hunters. Concerned that hunting license fees and associated federal funds generated from excise taxes on hunting equipment pay for most bear management activities in Maryland; yet DNR is on record as not supporting a regulated hunting season for bears. 

Public Values (Economic, Sociological, Political) vs. Biological Considerations 

• Concerned that DNR, as the public agency responsible for the management of bears, may not have an accurate perception of the desire, attitudes, and values that citizens place on black bears. 
  

• Although diverse values and opinions associated with black bears provide a unique management challenge for the DNR, there is concern that DNR has failed to take a leadership position in managing this species. It is unclear to the public of DNR's intention to manage this species as either a "Game" or "Non-game" wildlife species. The present classification of bears as a "Game" mammal has instilled in the hunting community the expectation that at some point bear hunting will be allowed in Maryland. Traditional game management principles utilize regulated hunting as an effective mechanism to regulate the population of a game species at an acceptable level. 

Public Education 

• Concerned about the lack of public education in solving human-bear problems. 
  

• Concerned about irresponsible human behavior and the subsequent negative consequences for both humans and bears. 
  

• Concerned that there is a lack of public education regarding the benefits that black bears provide to society. 
  

• Concerned that although it is against the law, people continue to feed bears. 

Animal Welfare 

• Concerned that the humane treatment of black bears is not being integrated into all aspects of DNR's bear management program. 

Bear- Related Recreation 

• Black bears are a public resource. The decision making process should be sensitive to the divergent recreational opportunities that bears provide to include wildlife viewing, wildlife photography, potential for regulated hunting, and intrinsic values. 

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