Press:
Daily Record—April 17 2010
New Poll Reveals New Jersey Residents Oppose the Trophy Hunting of Black Bears
Residents Overwhelmingly Support Non-Lethal Bear Management
(April 16, 2010) — A statewide survey conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, Inc. has revealed that New Jersey voters oppose the trophy hunting of black bears. Statewide, 45 percent of voters oppose the hunting of black bears in New Jersey, while only 35 percent support it.
Voters also strongly agree, by 74 to 20 percent, that the state should prioritize non-lethal methods of solving conflicts between bears and people. The survey results were consistent in every geographic region of the state, with all regions opposed to bear hunting and in favor of non-lethal solutions.
The poll comes after the New Jersey Fish and Game Council released its Comprehensive Black Bear Management Policy in March, which included plans for a bear hunt in December. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection approved this plan.
Additionally, voters strongly oppose the hunting of bear cubs under a year of age, some of whom are still nursing, the killing of mother bears with cubs, and the use of bait to lure bears to hunters who can shoot them while they were feeding, all of which was permitted in the state's previous bear hunts, in 2003 and 2005.
“This survey confirms what we've long known: New Jersey residents oppose the trophy hunting of black bears, particularly when inhumane or unsporting practices are involved, such as the shooting of nursing cubs, the shooting of mother bears, and the baiting of bears with piles of food,” said Heather Cammisa, The HSUS' New Jersey state director.
“Voters want real solutions, and they know that proper garbage management, not trophy hunting, will reduce conflicts with bears.”
The survey of 625 New Jersey voters was conducted statewide from April 7 through April 8, 2010. The margin of error is plus or minus 4 percent. The questions and results are below.
QUESTION: The state of New Jersey has protected black bears since 1970 with only two trophy hunts permitted in the past forty years. The state is now considering allowing hunters to kill up to 400 black bears. Do you support or oppose the hunting of black bears in New Jersey?
STATE NORTH NEWARK CENTRAL SOUTH
SUPPORT 35% 38% 36% 32% 30%
OPPOSE 45% 43% 42% 51% 47%
UNDECIDED 20% 19% 22% 17% 23%
QUESTION: During New Jersey's previous black bear hunts, hunters were permitted to shoot cubs as young as 10 months old and shoot mother bears with cubs, some of whom may still be nursing.
Do you support or oppose New Jersey allowing the shooting of bear cubs as young as 10 months old?
STATE NORTH NEWARK CENTRAL SOUTH
SUPPORT 12% 13% 14% 11% 9%
OPPOSE 82% 82% 79% 83% 85%
UNDECIDED 6% 5% 7% 6% 6%
QUESTION: Do you support or oppose New Jersey allowing shooting of mother bears with cubs?
STATE NORTH NEWARK CENTRAL SOUTH
SUPPORT 11% 13% 10% 12% 9%
OPPOSE 81% 77% 78% 84% 85%
UNDECIDED 8% 10% 12% 4% 6%
QUESTION: In New Jersey's previous black bear hunts, hunters were permitted to lure bears with bait and shoot them while they were feeding. Do you support or oppose New Jersey permitting the practice of shooting baited feeding bears?
STATE NORTH NEWARK CENTRAL SOUTH
SUPPORT 24% 26% 24% 27% 17%
OPPOSE 63% 64% 59% 61% 71%
UNDECIDED 13% 10% 17% 12% 12%
QUESTION: Bears sometimes come into conflict with people. The vast majority of these reported conflicts are nuisance complaints about garbage cans, bird feeders and simple sightings of bears near urban areas. Many states successfully manage bear populations and reduce conflict through non-lethal measures such as public education, trash management, and game officers using rubber pellets and loud noises to frighten bears away, instead of killing them.
Please tell me if you agree or disagree with the following statement:
New Jersey should place priority on policies that promote non-lethal methods to reduce conflicts between bears and people.
STATE NORTH NEWARK CENTRAL SOUTH
AGREE 74% 72% 70% 73% 83%
DISAGREE 20% 25% 20% 20% 15%
NOT SURE 6% 3% 10% 7% 2%
Media Contact: Liz Bergstrom, 301-258-1455,
ebergstrom@humanesociety.org the Web at humanesociety.org.
Press release: March 11, 2010
BEAR Group announces its lawsuit against
Fish & Game Council for alleged violations
of the Open Public Meetings Act Law
The Bear Education And Resource Group (BEAR) announces its claim against the Fish and Game Council for what are believed to be violations to the Open Public Meetings Act law (OPMA).
Over the past two years, BEAR Group director Janet Piszar brought her concerns to the attention of the Fish and Game Council (FGC):
-failure to include OPMA required items to the Agenda,
-impromptu calls for closed executive sessions,
-neglect to pass resolutions for executive sessions,
-failure to provide the legal reasons why executive sessions were being called
The BEAR Group made the decision to file suit after believing that illegal meetings had been held.
On at least two occasions, November 10 and December 15, 2009, a quorum of FGC members met in Game Committee meetings to discuss management policies for game animals which includes black bears and the reinstatement of a highly controversial bear hunt.
These meetings had a quorum of Council members and many Division of Fish and Wildlife staff who worked together outside the public purview. It is a violation of the OPMA law for any public body that votes on public policy to hold closed meetings with a quorum of voting members without a resolution that specifies the legal OPMA exemption as to why the meeting is being closed to the public.
