Take Action: Lend Your Voice to Defend Florida Black Bears

Reprinted from the Audubon Advocate

Two opportunities to make your voice heard. See below for more information.

Florida Black Bears

In the wake of attacks by black bears in the last two years, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) advanced a proposal in February to open a black bear hunt this fall, despite their own biologists’ testimony that bear hunting will not meaningfully address the public safety issue. Agency staff are now in rule development for a bear hunt this October, with a draft rule planned for presentation to the commissioners at their April 15 commission meeting in Tallahassee.
At the February meeting in Jacksonville, many citizens and conservation groups voiced their opposition to the proposed hunt. Audubon called the discussion of a hunt a “dangerous distraction” from the real work that needs to be undertaken to make Florida safer for people and bears alike.
All the bears associated with recent attacks were in areas where they were being fed—either intentionally (which is against Florida law), or negligently because of unsecured trash and other human food sources.
“In Florida, when you build a home on the coast, you have to build to withstand certain windspeeds. When you build in flood-prone areas, you have to elevate your home,” said Julie Wraithmell, Audubon Florida's Director of Wildlife Conservation. “Why is it that when people build homes in bear country, they are not required to buy a $250 bear-proof trash can?”
Meaningful efforts to improve safety in bear country should include:

1. Enforcement of Florida’s prohibition on feeding bears
2. Advocacy with local governments to require bear proof trash cans in bear country, and subsidies to help low-income residents with compliance.

Hunts could begin as early as this October in the Apalachicola, Osceola, Ocala/Wekiva and Lee/Collier subpopulations. Agency biologists have asserted these bear subpopulations could sustain as much as 20% annual mortality (from roadkill, euthanasia of nuisance bears, and hunting quotas combined). While a hunt based on this percentage is proposed for this fall, current population numbers will not be available for most of these subpopulations until mid-2016.
The Florida Black Bear was removed from the Florida Threatened species list three years ago, when Florida adopted a new process for gauging species imperilment.
A unique subspecies, Florida black bears once roamed much of Florida but now occupy only 18% of their historic range, in 7 relatively isolated subpopulations (described by FWC as bear management units). Their decline has largely been attributed to large-scale habitat loss—a threat which has not abated. Today, roadkill also takes a significant toll on the species.
You can watch the February FWC meeting on YouTube. The video is presented in two parts:          

• Click here for Part 1
• Click here for Part 2 (Audubon testifies at 18:40)

Two Opportunities to Make Your Voice Heard

The FWC will consider the draft rule proposal for fall bear hunt at their April 15 meeting in Tallahassee. Please consider attending and speaking at this hearing. You can view the PowerPoint presentation FWC staff plan to present to the Commission by clicking here.
If you cannot attend the meeting in Tallahassee, you can still make your voice heard by using Audubon's Advocacy portal to send an email to FWC. Click the red button below for more information.

April 15 - Public Hearing	Send a Letter
Wednesday, April 15 8:30am Alfred Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center Florida A&M University 1800 Wahnish Way, Tallahassee, FL 32307 Click here for map. Click here for parking pass.