Last Wednesday, after Gov. Jon Corzine reiterated his opposition, Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Lisa Jackson canceled the 2006 bear hunt. Corzine ordered Jackson to review the effectiveness of the state’s bear management plan and whether last year’s bear hunt, in which about 300 bears were killed, helped reduce contact between bears and people. “I believe it is not appropriate to go forward with a bear hunt for this year without first trying to implement significant new, non-lethal bear mitigation measures,” Corzine said. Corzine, who had promised during his campaign to end the hunt, said the bear hunt regulations he was asked to readopt weren’t approved by his administration, which took office in January. He said the state hasn’t done enough to implement anti-bear measures such as educating residents on how to live with bears and ensuring food and garbage don’t draw bears to houses. He said that he would provide at unspecified amount of money to implement other bear control measures. Since the hunt was cancelled last week, sportsmen’s organizations have been going to court in hopes of overturning the decree. The six-day hunt had been scheduled to begin on Monday, Dec. 4. Jackson said she could not support the bear management plan if it were to rely on hunting as the sole population and nuisance control. Other parts of the plan, including requiring bear-proof garbage containers and utilizing birth-control methods, have not received funding from the state and have, consequently, not been tried. The 2006 hunt would have been the third since 2003, when the state held its first bear hunt after a 33-year moratorium. The hunts were reinstated to attempt to control a bear population that had grown to an estimated 3,200 animals. Last year’s hunt was held in a 1,500-square-mile region in northwestern New Jersey between Interstates 78 and 287, though bears have been spotted in all 21 counties. Only about two percent of New Jersey’s population have hunting licenses and about half of those - 80,000 - obtain a deer-hunting permit. In addition to a valid hunting license, those wishing to hunt bear also need a separate, free permit. To qualify for this permit, would-be bear hunters are required to take a special class on bear hunting. This year in early November, the state said that it would allow hunters to register for bear hunting classes with the stipulation that allowing the Division of Fish and Game to conduct the classes did not necessarily indicate that a hunt would happen. Even though the hunt was killed on Wednesday, Nov. 15, the state-mandated bear hunting class was still held last Thursday at Pequest Resource Education Center and was well attended, with only a few of the 65 pre-registrants failing to show. This was the last class to sneak in, because shortly after, the N.J. Division of Fish and Wildlife posted, “as of Nov. 16, all bear training seminars have been cancelled” on its Web site. The division promised that further information would be posted on its Web page when available. Those who already took classes this year can get credit for it in future years if the hunt is reinstated. The cancellation of the hunt is a huge victory for The Bear Education and Resource Group, a non-profit agency based in Hewitt. Directed by Lynda Smith, the organization was formed in 1993 and sponsors meetings, protests and a Web site dedicated to protecting black bears. The group has even gone as far as offering a Black Bear “Non-Hunting License.” For $10, hunt opponents can purchase the laminated document, with the money going into the campaign to protect bears through public education, averse conditioning, and non-lethal management. “I was very impressed with Commissioner Jackson and her analysis and feel she’s right on the money with where she’s heading with what needs to be done,” Smith said. “In the 13 years we’ve had the organization, this is the first time the state is actually considering programs that will help residents, not just hunters.” In contrast to Smith, Jon White isn’t at all happy about the cancellation of the hunt. Though he moved to Delaware last year, he still planned to return to Sussex County for the bear hunt. “I think the cancellation of the bear was done for inappropriate reasons,” he said. “I may have been able to accept the cancellation a little easier if an alternative method to control the bear population was implemented now. However, that is not the case. All of the facts and figures show that the previous two hunts helped reduce the population. Now, they are not doing anything. “The bottom line is that the decision was not made with the best interests of the people, families, and children who are directly affected by the overpopulation of bears.” Last January, Assemblymen Reed Gusciora (D-15) and Michael Panter (D-12) introduced a new black bear protection bill which would prohibit black bear hunting, create a black bear study commission, authorize the issuance and sale of an N.J. Black Bear Stamp, and establish the N.J. Black Bear Stamp Account. The bill has been assigned to the Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee. The hunters are vehemently against the bill being passed into law, and many echo White’s sentiments: “I feel let down because the way I understood it was that the hunt was approved for 4 years or so. It also means that the population of bears will grow even higher; there will be more human/bear encounters. “I almost feel that a human life needs to be lost due to a bear attack before the governor/government understands that there is a serious problem with the bear population,” he continued. “Safety will always be an issue with no formed hunt to control the population.” Smith disagrees. “This is a huge victory,” she said. “Hopefully, the state will continue to explore other options to having a hunt to control the bear population.”