According to this morning’s Home News Tribune, Gov. John Corzine has allocated $850,000 in his budget to deal with New Jersey bears and none of that money will be used for bear hunting. Instead, the majority of it will pay for salaries for extra wildlife technicians whose primary job it will be to capture and remove bears from places where there are too many.
When Gov. Corzine was running for the office, he made no bones about the fact that he did not support bear hunting. Liza Jackson, Department of Environmental Protection commissioner, the department of which oversees fish and game, is also an obvious opponent of bear hunting. Upon taking the control she ordered the scheduled bear hunt for 2006 stopped while disregarding the court approved Bear Management Plan, saying it was illegal. This aspect of the battle still remains to be heard out in the courtroom.
Dep. Commissioner John Watson says that whatever is left over after paying salaries will go toward educating the public.
Watson also said the state would move to educate the public in the main areas where bears are found on what they can do to discourage bears from coming around such as not feeding them or removing bird feeders with seeds that bears like to munch on.
Maybe Corzine and Jackson could also spend some of that money and take a lesson from the folks over in West Milford and buy some “bear-proof” garbage cans. They come complete with no handles.
*Previous Posts*
Untethered Politicians And Wildlife Management
Oh, The Insanity Of It All
Whoda Thunk It? Black Bear Complaints Going Up In New Jersey
Sen. Robert Littell Thinks Jackson’s Bear Proof Garbage Cans Idea “Unconscionableâ€
I Think Bears In New Jersey May Be Smarter Than Government Leaders
Differing Court Views Behind Bear Hunt Decisions
Questions And Answers About New Jersey Bear Hunt
New Jersey Supreme Court Has Ruled – No Bear Hunt This Year
New Jersey Supreme Court To Decide On Bear Hunt
Governor Corzine’s Got It All Wrong
New Jersey Appeals Court Says No To Hunters
Appellate Judges Hear Arguments On New Jersey Bear Hunt
New Jersey Bear Hunt Nixed By New DEP Commissioner
What Is New Jersey Governor Corzine Up To?
What’s The Status On The New Jersey Bear Hunt?
Tom Remington
