As the weather gets warmer, more species leave hiding and enjoy the comfortable temperatures. I mean, it’s completely understandable. The harsh Vermont winters even make the most experienced outdoorsmen want to stay inside. 

However, we humans are not the only species that are excited for spring. Across the state of Vermont, black bears are starting to wake up from hibernation, and this ultimately means that there will be interactions between bears and humans.  

According to the Burlington Free Press, there are between 7,000 and 8,500 species of black bear in the state of Vermont. The Burlington Free Press also gives insight into how the Department of Vermont Fish and Wildlife accurately predicts the black bear population. 

“Fish and Wildlife’s estimation of the state’s bear population comes from age and sex data from hunter harvests and non-hunting deaths of bears, such as vehicle strikes. Because the model relies on annual data from hunters, it lags one year behind the current hunting season.” 

However, these populations have not always been so high. According to the Burlington Free Press, “In the early 1970s, Vermont’s bears were found only in mountainous areas and the Northeast Kingdom, and likely numbered between 1,500 and 3,500, according to a news release. Today, they’re found in every Vermont town, except for communities on the Lake Champlain Islands. The bear population has seen steady growth since 2019.”  

The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Service is asking the public to be cautious of black bears this summer, urging Vermonters to take the proper steps to bear-proof their property and decrease the chances of conflicts between humans and bears in the Green Mountain state.  

NBC 5 interviewed Joclyn Comeau, project leader and black bear biologist for the state of Vermont. 

“We encourage Vermonters to do this proactively,” Comeau said. “Don’t wait for the bear to remind you that it’s time to take stuff down.” 

NBC 5 also states “Comeau’s recommendations include taking down bird feeders, keeping garbage secured in bear-resistant containers or structures, Composting Properly, using electric fences around backyard chickens and honeybees, and only feeding your pets indoors.”

  Comeau also explains her objectives further, “It’s much easier if you put these foods away before the bear finds them so that you’re not kind of teaching that bear to keep coming back for more food,” Comeau said. “We also really encourage Vermonters to share information. So, if you know that a bear’s active in your neighborhood, let your neighbors know, and encourage them to take the necessary precautions.” 

According to Comeau, “We know that our bear population has been consistently fluctuating between 4,000 to 7,500 bears for the better part of 20 years,” Comeau said. “This indicates that the available habitat in Vermont can sustain a population of bears in this range. This, coupled with the public surveys related to social carrying capacity, is how we set our population objective at 3,500 to 5,500 in the Big Game Management Plan for 2020 to 2030.”   The Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife sincerely asks the public to submit online reports of potentially dangerous incidents like feeding on garbage, property damage, or bears investigating areas they should not be exploring. 

According to NBC 5, department biologists will use the qualitative data submitted to try and intervene early. This is all in pursuit of preventing escalating conflicts.  

Ultimately it is our responsibility to ensure that we are living in a healthy environment with black bears. 

We are the species with the most responsibility in this situation, and therefore, we are the species that is trusted to come up with a proper solution.