Saturday, July 28, 2012

Commentary Regarding the Bears

A concerned commentary regarding the bears in The Meadows from MaryEllen Schoeman:

I know this is really, really long, but I have become very concerned with how habituated our local bears are becoming and want very much to stress that this kind of situation can only end in tears, and usually bloodshed. I'm putting it in the body of this email and also attaching it in Word.

An appeal on behalf of the bears:

I know we all love to see ‘our’ neighborhood bears and it’s fun to watch them.  But… the bears in the Meadows have surpassed the carrying capacity for the land. That means that the populations of bears is more than the land can actually support. This means that people are feeding them. Some people, I’m sure, are feeding them accidentally by leaving dog food out or leaving unsecured sheds or garages where food is stored. But I am equally sure that some people are feeding them deliberately.



I’m begging you, please stop. These bears are becoming far, far too habituated to humans and are now seeing human habitations as a food source. Bears are cute, but they are not harmless. I recently made the mistake of leaving a bag of dog food outside – I thought that since it was in a big plastic tub, and that tub was latched tight and locked inside of a welded wire cage, it would be okay for just one night. A bear came that night, dragged the cage for several feet (this cage is so heavy it took four big guys just to shove it out of the back of a pickup truck), and then bent the door at both top and bottom until it could get to the food. This is not a wimpy little cage made of chicken wire or hardware cloth, it was a welded cage of heavy-gauge wire. The bear bent the door like it was nothing. I have also found bears sleeping in my carport several times, which indicates that they are getting used to sleeping in human-constructed places. This is terribly unsafe, both for the bears and for the humans – approaching your car at dawn and clicking your car alarm? Could result in a very confused, frightened bear charging out of the carport at the only exit it knows – right where you are standing.



If you have been feeding bears, or letting them sleep on or around your deck, porch, etc., it is essential that you stop before a big disaster happens. Don’t let the recent ‘successful’ darting and relocation of the Glendale bear fool you into thinking that this is what will happen if one of ‘our’ bears gets too bold. It is usually not done that way (the Dept. of Fish and Game needed some good PR after the mountain lion debacle), and is misleading – the Glendale bear has not, in fact, been released, it is still in custody and will most likely be sent to a sanctuary to live out its life in captivity. That is not what we want for our bears, nor do we want them killed for being  ‘problem’ bears.



Also remember that feeding bears can lead to human tragedy, too. Remember the story from several years back of an elderly lady who had been feeding them for fourteen year. The bears started fighting one day and she tried to break it up, and was killed and eaten. Most reports of bears breaking into houses and killing people are also because people had been feeding them.



This is the time of year when young bears would naturally begin to disperse to new areas, in search of food and other resources. But if there is plenty of food around, they will not disperse, resulting in ever-increasing populations. But, that also makes this time of year a good time to start cutting back on feeding them. Cut back gradually, and then start putting food out on an irregular pattern, one night but then not for a few nights, etc., until you stop completely.  The bears don’t need food or shelter from you. They need to be allowed to go live the life that nature intends for them.



I am no expert on bears, so if anyone else has any good advice on how to wean them from human contact, please weigh in. Let’s all keep our bears safe, even if it means we see them less often.


--
MaryEllen Schoeman
Owner, Wild Things Pet Sitting

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Meadows Public Library!

Thanks to Jane and Todd for this fantastic addition to The Meadows.

We now have The Meadows Public Library!  This is a book sharing library.  You bring a book to leave with Meadows neighbors and take one that you want to read.

How wonderful is that!?!?!

Located at 4337 Risinghill Road.

We hopre to see you at the book house soon!

 

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Need Rocks?

Anyone need rocks for their garden?

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Thanks to Amish for the airlift pics over The Meadows today.  As he stated:

" I happened to take these pictures with my phone today. I think they were practicing but not sure. The heli seemed to pick up something on the long line."




Sunday, July 08, 2012

Meadows-wide Yard Sale?

A neighbor asked if we were doing a Meadows-wide yard sale this year.  Last year we did it in September.

Any interest out there?

Saturday, July 07, 2012

New Bear Sighting

A new post last night from Andy, a neighbor in The Meadows:

"I saw a medium–sized black bear on the lot of the corner house at the top of Rising Hill Road en route to my house after a short hike. He/She was very timid and brownish in color. This is the second one I've seen this year in that same spot..."

Monday, July 02, 2012

Hootie Sign Damaged Again!

Someone,again, smashed a hole in the Hootie sign again today. 

This is the second time within about 12 months.

The Hootie sign was created by a volunteer in The Meadows and repaired once already with neighborhood funds. We all think it adds charm to our entry into and our of The Meadows.

It seems circumspect that potentially the same person is causing the damage.  Can't think of why someone would want to damage the sign.

If anyone has insight, please share.

There are no funds to repair it.  If we in The Meadows want to fund that, we'll need to tak up a collection.  Please let me know if anyone is interested in heading that effort.