I hope everyone enjoys this holiday weekend with its many activities. I did want to clarify a bear situation that occurred in Plymouth recently. I don’t know all of the details, but someone was bitten on the hand. Rumors have been flying about the whereabouts of the bear. Some folks are assuming it was shot and others believe it was trapped and removed from the area. I spoke with Fish and Wildlife Warden Tim Carey who covers our area and apparently neither of those scenarios is true, although it is known that a sow with three cubs was likely involved.

Bears are quite prevalent in our area and he suggested that we look at their website to learn how to safely share our space with them. Their hunger coupled with their amazing sense of smell leads them to be attracted to any easy source of food – the easier, the better. Unsecured outdoor garbage containers, BBQ grills and bird feeders provide incentive to come in close proximity to people. Bears quickly learn and remember where they can obtain food and as many of us have observed, they are not afraid of people. We are not doing them any favors by feeding them. The saying, a fed bear is a dead bear should help us to adjust our behavior and desire to observe these beautiful creatures up close. We are actually putting them in danger, especially when there is abundant healthy food available for them in the wild.