Blue Star

June 17, 2015 - 12:10

Bear Facts

By:

Scott Sullivan

Thank God we have gov-ernment to protect us. Who needs heroes when we have the Department of Natural Resources? Garbage cans are typical targets for hungry bears, says DNR Wildlife Technician Katie Keen. "Technician"? She hasn’t invented an app to solve this, but says we should keep a lid on our cans and don’t leave them out. So at 4 a.m. when I hear bangs and clatters nearby, I’ll rush out my rubbish, wait till cans are emptied, then watch the bear hordes pursue the garbage truck down the street.

“Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!” springs to mind when I read our state’s bear population is spreading; there have been recent sightings as far south as, gulp, South Haven.

I have long walked the woods, dunes and shores assured that our wildlife “regulars”—Gert the White Goose, Samson the Ox-Bow Turtle and Chester the One-Footed Seagull—were benign protectors. Seagulls, turtles and geese, oh my! It doesn’t hurt that we feed them. When Chester didn’t show up last summer at Oval Beach, I feared something bad was afoot. (More evil than this pun, even.)

Does the bird flu mean Chester flies no more? No one messes with Samson or Gert on the waterfront, but do bears now sit in our forest? The ones that allegedly play football in Chicago aren’t very threatening, but what’s brewin’ with bruins storming in from the north?

For full story, pick up a copy of the June 18 Commercial Record or subscribe to the e-edition.