Community members propose additional ideas to minimize wildlife encounters, educate visitors on dangers of feeding wild animals
By Jamie Organski
Following a weekend incident that resulted in the euthanizing of a female bear and her two cubs, residents of Old Forge are looking for new ways to prevent it from happening again.
According to a NYS Department of Environmental Conservation spokesperson, the trio of bears had become frequent visitors at Nicks Lake Campground in Old Forge, where they had access to food from campers, both accidental and intentional.
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Throughout the weekend the bear family moved into the hamlet, with multiple sightings and interactions reported by locals and visitors. Town of Webb Tourism Director Mike Farmer said Webb Supervisor Bonnie Baker made the call to temporarily close Crosby Boulevard after a crowd of people had gathered to watch the bears near the public restrooms. Farmer and Baker were aided by a NYS Department of Transportation agent as they attempted to inform the public and keep them at a safe distance. Town of Webb Visitor’s Information Center staff alerted the DEC and Webb Police.
“The police call was routed automatically to the Herkimer County dispatch office,” Farmer said. “Later our staff was called by DEC personnel, who had advised the State Police. DEC reported that there were no officers in close proximity to Old Forge, and that DEC response time was estimated at two hours…The issue during the whole time, in my estimation, was people getting too close to the bears. Many in the crowds seemed to understand the potential danger, and complied with instructions. Many others were intent on getting pictures and videos, and they crowded close to the bears.”
On Sunday, after being called in and witnessing Class 1 “aggressive behavior,” by the bears, the DEC environmental conservation officer made the decision to put down the animals.
Feelings of frustration
As news spread across the community, many voiced frustration that incidents like this keep happening,
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Old Forge resident Reagan Ehrensbeck said she was walking home from her job at Blue Line Coffee House when she encountered a group of people bothering the bear and cubs.
“I asked them to stop messing with them because there were a bunch of people about 20 ft away from them and they were agitated,” she said. “They laughed and [continued the behavior.]”
Local resident Meg Ulrich said she witnessed a similar interaction in her backyard last year.
“Last year I had a woman chasing a cub across my property,” Ulrich said. “When I questioned her, she cursed me out.”
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According to Ulrich, local residents are doing their best to live alongside bears but more needs to be done. “We are careful with food and garbage storage and disposal, slow our speeds, try to educate when appropriate and, most importantly, we give wild animals space,” she said. “We must do better; fines, tickets, education, larger signs…whatever it takes.”
Brainstorming potential solutions
Messages of outrage and sadness filled a social media discussion board following the news of the bears’ death. Many questioned whether it was necessary for the bears to be killed. And whether there are other solutions.
The DEC doesn’t relocate bears that associate humans with food, as the “nuisance bears” will continue that learned behavior.
As a way to use this story as an example, Bret Thompson of Old Forge suggested honoring the bear and cubs with a memorial statue that would tell the story of what happened to them and serve as a reminder to respect wildlife.
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The town of Webb has already posted several signs around the community, asking people to refrain from feeding the wildlife, emphasizing that it is illegal to feed deer, bear, and moose in New York. Old Forge resident Amanda DeShaw suggested the creation of a billboard depicting an image of a euthanized bear and “A fed bear is a dead bear, violators will be fined,” noting the direct, shocking imagery may prove effective.
Old Forge resident Kristin Armendola proposed a monitoring committee composed of concerned volunteers who would like to help keep local wildlife safe. Armendola suggested Webb residents could sign up to be a community patrol officer and have the ability to write civil citations to those who feed/interfere with wildlife. Armendola said she has reached out to Webb Supervisor Baker for her input.
Local resident Barbara Green who served on the Town of Webb Board for several years suggested more DEC presence in the busy season to help deter this ultimate verdict of euthanasia.
“It would also be wise to check that all businesses who dispose of anything edible by wildlife is secure and electrified,” Green posted on social media.
Michelle Bartlett of Life in the ADK, who has been vocal in her disdain for people with no regard for wildlife, said she is encouraged that so many individuals, as well as people from the town who have decision-making capabilities, are seemingly onboard to come up with a solution.
“This happened two years ago with the mama bear and three cubs and everybody was outraged and upset [then] but this year they seem to be very proactive,” Bartlett said. “That makes me highly hopeful that we will be able to find a solution to be able to implement for next tourist season to not only keep our wildlife safe, but keep our wildlife wild.”
Explorer file photo at top by Jeff Nadler
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Give the bears guns.
I would think the dec could of trankalize the bears and transport to another area higher up
They could, but they would either be back at the same area again in a few days, or a NEW campground or habitation. They can’t unlearn that behavior we taught them.
Once the bears associate humans as a source of food, moving them only transfers the problem to some other location. Don’t feed bears!
Exactly!
Fed bear = dead bear + dead cubs (if any)
There is no place wild enough in the Park to relocate them to that isn’t within a few hours walk to a habitation or campground.
Comedian Ron White explains the situation concisely, “You can’t fix stupid.”
So, try putting down a couple of tourists while agitating the wildlife. That WILL get attention but may not change behavior.
At least take a few tourists?!
Also, take lots of pictures and videos of the scofflaws. Then let law enforcement track them down and arrest them a few times. Put up old fashioned “Wanted” posters. A few thousand dollar fine will get a lot of media ink. Maybe a large NDL sized screen in the park with a Don’t Mess With Mother Nature theme would get attention of the city folks and video based millennials.
If memory serves me correctly back in early seventies some idiot put his kid ON the bear at Long Lake dump to get a picture. Dead bear as a result. And I believe a dead child.
You can’t fix stupid. Just look at Yellowstone Parks and bison or hot springs issues.
Humans need to be respectful of wild animals.
Fines for these belligerent humans that tantalize the bears and other wild animals.
Your comment is precisely why we have biologists make these decisions and not the public.
“Mistaken” wolf kill..murdering bears for stupid behavior by humans..this is not managing wildlife..it’s murdering wildlife.
Your comment is precisely why we have biologists make these decisions and not the public.
Your heart is in a good place, but if you cared about the bears, you would be promoting education. This has nothing to do with managing wildlife. This is not typical management. This is extraneous.
I’m sorry for the stupidity of humans and how ignorant they are I am sicken at what I just read please let me know if I can help in anyway I’m an outdoors person and I totally respect wild life when I’m up in the high peaks and at heart lake people need to be held responsible enough is enough your in there home not yours that’s all everyone please have a good day
I just came home from ADK and while kayaking a baby cub was on its back legs walking towards a women. She clapped and the lady went inside. I was wondering where the momma was. I hope its not all alone now. This is so wong to kill the momma. This is their land.
As residents we should do more than complain about the problem after every euthanasia. Some of the incidents early in the article showed examples of residents trying to do the right thing, but seemed to stop short of actually reporting the perpetrators. Yes, this takes courage. Yes, this may create poor relations with neighbors and tourists, but that is the price we need to pay to save wildlife from humans. I don’t recommend taking on the perpetrators beyond mentioning their improper behavior. In today’s world, it is too dangerous. Call a DEC officer and report the incident. They may be too busy to respond, but at least there is a record of the incident. If DEC responds swiftly and professionally, it may actually have a chance to alter bad behavior without repercussions.
Caring for wildlife is often a tough job – both for residents and officers. But DEC officers are trained to interact with transgressors – we are not. Bemoaning euthanasia after the fact is obviously not getting to the problem soon enough. “Educating” tourists and residents only works on the people that listen. This obviously isn’t everybody. If education doesn’t work, enforcement needs to be the next step.
“Local resident Meg Ulrich said she witnessed a similar interaction in her backyard last year. ” This doesn’t sound at all like what was going on with these bears? That was a different incident last year with different bears?
“On Sunday, after being called in and witnessing Class 1 “aggressive behavior,” by the bears, the DEC environmental conservation officer made the decision to put down the animals.”
This wasn’t people chasing the bears? I think the DEC wildlife people know dangerous bear behavior when the see it. It’s too bad but it sounds like they know what they are doing.
UP until about 15 years ago Old Forge had 2 resident DEC Conservation officers. NYS in it’s wisdom created the so called super districts to the point where as the article states a DEC response was 2 hrs away. This is 100 percent on the state for failure to properly manage wildlife.
Ticket persons who engage or feed bears or any other wildlife. Human/Bear interaction will
inevitably lead to some human getting hurt. It’s time to enforce NYS Environmental Conservation Law. This shameful and selfish behavior must stop. Protect the bears, enforce the law.
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In New York State, intentionally feeding black bears is illegal and can result in a fine of up to $250 and 15 days in jail. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) may issue a written warning to residents who attract bears with bird feeders or other materials. If the resident does not comply with the warning, they may be issued a ticket.
Feeding bears can cause human-bear conflicts, as bears may become aggressive if they learn to get food from humans. Feeding can also change a bear’s natural behavior, causing them to congregate in areas that can lead to stress, injuries, and the spread of disease. Bears may also eat unhealthy materials like soap, shaving cream, insect repellant, and food packaging when feeding on garbage or camper supplies.
I just came home from ADK and while kayaking a baby cub was on its back legs walking towards a women. She clapped and the lady went inside. I was wondering where the momma was. I hope its not all alone now. This is so wong to kill the momma. This is their land.
I wish we could post signs around the whole area that say that any humans found to be endangering the welfare of the wildlife will be shot by Conservation Officers. I know we can’t shot them but I bet it would make them alter their stupid behavior!!!!
Posting large signs at the entrance every campground (public and private) with the “Fed Bears = Dead Bears”
The fine of “up to $250” is not a deterrent in today’s world. Increase the fine to $1000 and delete the “up to” and maybe then someone might think twice. Posters to this effect in all store windows might help as well as flyers and brief reminders as folks check in to their accommodations.
Agree! $1000 would be a starting point, and I would add the possibility of community service.
I just got back from Alaska so I’m sure you meant $10,000. It goes without saying that this includes not only tourists that feed or harass animals, but also the residents that don’t comply with regulations to keep bears away from food sources. To all of you newly educated “biologists “ might I suggest a little history lesson. Forty years ago it was common practice in the park to use open pit dumps. When those dumps were closed; we didn’t have bears crawling through houses and camps. When you remove food sources from Black bears; they will move on.
People who heckle bears and other wildlife should be arrested, fined heavily, and serve some jail time. No more letting disrespectful narcissistic people get away with such poor behavior.
We live in a black bear neighborhood. From late Spring to bear hibernation time we do not put our our birdseed feeders. And we take our hummingbird feeders in at night. We also take our trash to the transfer station every week. Don’t bait them. Respect them and let them live comfortably.
Thank you
Prisons are being shut down.
I’d be outraged, too. Two years ago, in Long Lake, 4 bears were put down by DEC officers after they entered people’s homes, attracted by unsecured garbage.
This triggered a summer-long educational campaign aimed at residents and tourists organized by the Town and by a committee of volunteers. I happened to to be one of the latter.
Two DEC officers, one active, the other retired, gave very thorough educational talks on bear-human interaction and thecsteps to be taken to avoid fatal encounters. I engaged with the Long Lake School’s science teacher who enlisted several students to develop educational posters, which were displayed in the Town Library for the duration of the summer.
Happy to say that the several educational presentations produced very positive feedback. Our Bears also appreciated our efforts to keep everyone, particularly our bears, safe — none were harmed last summer nor this summer, as it draws to a close. Should we happen to forger our lessons learned, we’ll repeat what we did Summer of 2023 and take any additional steps required to safeguard residents, visitors and our hometown wildlife. We love our bears too much not to.
I think these forms of education are a wonderful idea. When we were in Yosemite several years ago, and staying at a lodge outside the park, guests were required to attend a presentation about the wildlife, and especially the bears. That was where I first learned that it was important for the bears’ sake to leave them alone (“A fed bear is a dead bear.”)
Enforcement is important, too. Big signs about regulations and fines, placed where cars entered South Shore Road, helped put an end to deer feeding along the road.
Bottom line: there is a lot that can still be done with the help of volunteers.
In this case, it was a matter of crowds of people in very close proximity to the bears over more than three hours. The bears were moving along Main Street Old Forge on a busy Saturday. Crowds were following the bears. “A bunch of people bothering” the bears maybe could have/should have been photographed for prosecution, but they were not feeding the bears. The outcome for the mother bear, which had a history as a nuisance bear, was inevitable. However, in this instance, she was defending her cubs. The cubs were very, very young, and small, probably too small to survive alone. The solution in cases like this is for DEC to capture the cubs and get them to a rehab center such as Kindred Kingdom in Pennellville, NY or Orphaned Wildlife in Otisville NY. We can do better for our bears, and some people will respond to education. But some people will not change, and we should have strong enforcement provisions for those who persist in bothering the bears, which may then react with defensive, aggressive behaviors.
Did not know about those centers but am aware of Kilham Bear Center. An orphaned Bear Sanctuary in New Hampshire (3.5 from Old Forge)
Send the bears to a rehabilitation center and make the offenders responsible for all and any cost associated with the bears future care and feeding…
Give a guy a badge and this is what happens. Use the badge to control the people antagonizing the bears. So sad.
Back in the 60’s while hunting deer, North of Eagle Bay, we came across a dump and they was a sow and two cubs feeding. A woman, with a little girl, told the girl to go up to the cubs so she could take her photo. We yelled at her to get the kid back away for the cubs, and to woman told us that they were so cute and that she only wanted a picture. We told her that she was close to possibly photographing her daughters demise if the sow had attacked to protect them. People are so stupid!
Here’s an idea, enforce the law regarding feeding and harassing wildlife. These people are ignorant ! Anyone with half a brain knows that you don’t mess with a momma and her kids. I doesn’t matter if it’s a bear or a bird, momma feels threatened, you better watch out. Ticket these people or throw them in jail, that will end it ! Bears shouldn’t have to die because people are stupid! H
Very sad! All due to stupid humans not securing food & their garbage!! When a mother bear w/cubs gets into homes or visits campsites, the Cubs then learn this activity first hand. Now this becomes first hand for the Cubs to take & teach their cubs. So…sadly that is why they were put down. Along with stupid people & bird feeders! People NOT containing their trash! So very, very sad we have such Stupid people!
So sad to read this. Baby cubs and mama killed because of stupid, unthinking humans. The aggressors here were the humans but DEC didn’t shoot them. If this keeps recurring then education, signs and fiercely prosecuting these ignorant humans has to be the next step. It is not a story that should keep repeating in your area. Please, take action to intervene and stop it Before it happens next time. Truly wrong to keep killing these bears. We’ve forced them
Out. Please take corrective action.
I am both saddened and angered at the killing of these bears. I can understand putting down the sow in the interest of public safety, but the cubs posed no threat.They could of been rehabbed until big enough to be released back into the wild.
What really angers me is the stupidity of a lots of people when it comes to bears. A sow will always protect her young and that big fat bear can easily out run you. Also I have noted that different bears, like people, have different dispositions,
Public education can go just so far. I think that the fine for feeding a bear should be increased to $ 1000 plus a month in jail in order to get the public’s attention. In this case I think that the bECO used poor judgement in killing the cubs and only added one more straw to my dislike of NYSDEC
But IS there a way to rehabilitate cubs that have learned from their mother to tolerate humans and seek them out as the easiest source of calories? If you could do that, you could possibly rehab the mother as well. “Rehabbing” animals does not take “tame” or tolerant animals and turn them into WILD animals with wild instincts. It just keeps them alive and perhaps enables them to “survive” in the wild. And we don’t need more zoo or “educational” animals living their lives out in cages. Unlearning behavior is nearly impossible.
That’s what happens when ya give cowards a badge and gun. When we going to start shooting human mothers for protecting their young? That’s next?
NATION-WIDE LAW:
” A FED BEAR IS NOT A DEAD BEAR” ! Change that mantra to “A FED BEAR IS A STARVING HUMAN ! ” If a human feeds a bear and it peacefully asks other humans for food or even swipes or attacks suburbanite trash for food, then the law should provide for the confiscation of all human food and drink from campers who have been feeding any bear. REQUIRE ALL VISITORS TO SIGN A LEGALLY BINDING CLAUSE IN WHICH THEY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT FED BEARS WILL NOT BE RELOCATED OR SHOT, AND THAT THEY WILL BE ALLOWED TO ATTACK HUMANS BECAUSE IT IS ENTIRELY THE FAULT OF HUMANS THAT BEARS BECOME UNNATURALLY AGGRESSIVE. Humans have to sign such clauses when they buy a ski lift ticket, in which they agree to accept the inherent risk of injury or death from skiing. Ski resorts don’t shoot lift operators every time a moron doesn’t use the safety bar and falls off, getting injured !
DON’T SHOOT THE BEARS!
Visitors to where? Anybody ‘visiting’ or a resident could be involved. What if the bear ‘allowed to attack the humans’ as you say had noting to do with teaching it bad behavior? This comment is a joke right? It’s not entirely the fault of humans. Female bears have evolved to have protective behaviors to protect their cubs. Sometimes all you need to do is get between cubs and mom by accident.
“All you need to do is get between cubs and mom by accident”, and “by accident” is a result of humans failing to take the time to observe moma bear and cubs. So, in such a case it is the fault of the humans, a species capable of observing the distant universe with telescopes.
Inexcusable justification for shooting a bear. Humans have the option of not living within a bear range.
Most important PRINCIPLE OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR: Don’t reward bad behavior. That means do NOT reward and encourage irresponsible people who do not observe bears correctly, who do not interact correctly, who interrupt mother and her cubs etc., and who arrogantly think that their anthropocentric “right to bad behavior” is more important than a bear’s right to life ! When the DEC kills bears that have been incorrectly conditioned as a consequence of the bad behavior of people, it is rewarding bad human behavior and encouraging those bad people to continue faulty interaction with bears, knowing that there will not be any negative consequences to people. Those bad people, who are, in effect (whether intentional or unintentional ) in wilderness to get bears killed, should be punished ! SENTENCE THE PEOPLE WHO BEHAVE BADLY, AND NEVER KILL THE BEARS !!! Make those people live with the problem bears that they created!!! Then, they will learn correct behavior, and the bears will always behave correctly !!!
When the Adirondack towns had open garbage dumps I don’t recall bears being euthanized. People went there evenings to watch the bears. I am in approval of the change by DEC for handling garbage in the campgrounds,but I do not buy the policy of killing ” nuisance” bears.r that is? Whyr
“Two hours away”? Do you know how far that is? Why did it take the ECO until the next day to show up? Did the fact that it was a weekend have any bearing?
I don’t buy that bears can’t be relocated. There are many spots many miles away, remote and suitable for release.
Aggressive behavior by the cubs? I find that hard to swallow. I agree with Walnut Tree, Severely sentence the people and NEVER KILLA BEAR FOR NUISANCE REASONS> DEC needs to change it’s policy.