Eleven members of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies' (SEAFWA) Large Carnivore Working Group (LCWG) recently met in Asheville, North Carolina with Wildlife Management Institute (WMI) staff to launch a regional "BearWise" program aimed at reducing human-bear conflict. "BearWise" is being developed in response to the increasing frequency of encounters in southeastern states where both the human and black bear populations are growing. The program will use a website and other materials, developed by WMI using messages provided by the LCWG, as means to inform people about bears and ways to coexist safely.

Across the SEAFWA states, black bear numbers and distribution are increasing. So is the human population. While black bear recovery in the region is a conservation success, it is not without problems. In rural areas where spreading corn to feed deer and turkeys is common, black bears have honed in on this food source creating conflicts with both home owners and deer hunters. Across the region, state agencies are experiencing a surge of calls about nuisance bears that have replaced raccoons as marauders of unsecured garbage cans. And in Florida, black bear attacks on people in residential areas sparked demands for ? and controversy about ? hunting to control bear numbers.

Recognizing the need to inform people and provide them with tools to coexist with the burgeoning bear population, SEAFWA invited WMI to assist the LCWG with development of a "BearWise" program for the region. LCWG Co-chairs, Maria Davidson from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and Colleen Olfenbuttel of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC), recently organized a two-day working session to begin defining problems and identifying messages. WMI Western Field Representative Chris Smith and contractor Colleen Matt, who have coordinated bear safety information and education for the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee for the past five years joined the discussion and will be helping to develop outreach materials.

State agency representatives recounted the increasing challenges they are facing with bear management. Tammy Wactor, LCWG member from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources described the challenges of dealing with human-bear conflicts in a state where feeding deer is legal, but feeding bears is not. Adam Hammond from the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division showed the group photos of black bears denning under porches in rural areas near Atlanta. Thomas Harms reported that nuisance calls have doubled every year for the past three years in Alabama. Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries' Jamie Sajecki spoke about irresponsible behavior that led to a bear attack on a person last year. Davidson reported that conflicts between people and the recently-delisted Louisiana black bear population are, "literally keeping me awake at night, responding to complaints." Olfenbuttel explained how increasing presence of black bears at deer bait stations is driving some hunters' demands that the Commission increase harvest to reduce bear numbers.

On a more positive note, David Telesco with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said that the recent bear attacks and controversy over hunting has led to some progress. Telesco said, "Several communities in Florida have achieved ?BearWise' certification by adopting ordinances that require securing garbage and other food sources, having trained security staff to enforce the ordinances and respond to reports of bears in the area, and an active outreach program."

To get a first-hand look at the nature of the challenges, the LCWG spent a morning with the NCWRC/North Carolina State University Urban Bear Study Team that is monitoring black bear numbers and movements in and around Asheville. Team leader and PhD student Nick Gould took the group to locations within the city limits of Asheville to check culvert traps set to capture urban bears. Although no bears were caught that day, Gould and his team have captured 103 different bears in resident's back yards and driveways in the past two years. The agency is trying to determine whether the urban bear population is more productive than bears living in more rural settings due to an abundance of both natural and human-provided foods.

As is the case in many southeastern communities, public opinion varies widely on what to do. While some people support measures to reduce conflicts, others persist in feeding bears. The degree to which these bears are habituated to humans was driven home when the group examined a large, hollow tree less than 20 meters off the Blue Ridge Parkway just outside Asheville that was used as a den last winter by a sow and her four yearlings.

Smith said WMI is excited about working with the LCWG to address the issues identified at the meeting. "While the species and setting are quite different from grizzly bears in the northwest, the causes of the conflicts and ways to reduce them have a lot in common. All bears are driven by their need for calories. Securing unnatural food sources such as garbage and bird or deer feed, and avoiding food conditioning is critical to reducing conflict," said Smith. By combining the expertise of LCWG biologists and WMI's experience with bear safety outreach, SEAFWA hopes to improve coexistence between humans and bears. (cs)