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2007-2008 Public Meetings on Bear Management

With black bears thriving in New York State, the DEC has slated a series of public education workshops to provide an overview of the natural history and current status of black bears and to seek public input on future management.

After dramatic reductions in the black bear population in the 1800s, conservation measures paved the way for a comeback. Bears have had secure populations in the Adirondacks, Catskill and Allegany Regions for many years, and in the last few decades bear populations have significantly expanded in number and distribution throughout New York.

The black bear is a natural component of the woodlands of New York, and it is encouraging to see that conservation efforts and the rebound in forested habitat over the last century have resulted in a healthy and thriving bear population. However, bears can be a serious problem for some forms of agriculture and often run into trouble in and around urban/suburban areas. The DEC is looking for public input about current bear populations and distribution and about current black bear management in New York.

The following meetings are scheduled:

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• Contact for this Page:
• NYSDEC
  Bureau of Wildlife
  625 Broadway
  Albany, NY 12233-4754
  518-402-8883
  email us