Conservation, Research, and Education in Sussex County, New Jersey
Project Location: Great Gorge Village in Sussex County, New Jersey
Collaborators: Bear Trust International, New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, East Stroudsburg University
Funders: Bear Trust International, Hudson Farm, New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, East Stroudsburg University, and a wonderful charitable foundation that wishes to remain anonymous
Project Duration: 2008-2011 and beyond
Project Goals
The project in New Jersey will meet the following goals: 1) address the issue of bear-human conflicts, 2) increase human safety and decrease probability of bear mortality by decreasing the number of bears that become habituated to humans and garbage, 3) provide scientific information regarding how bears respond to wildlife-resistant containers in real-life situations, 4) provide innovative education opportunities for children, 5) foster community participation, and, 6) serve as a model for other communities that exist in bear habitat.
Project Overview
In many communities in New Jersey, bear-human conflicts are significant and ongoing. In addition to helping one bear-habituated community become bear-resistant, Bear Trust is collaborating with the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife and East Stroudsburg University to conduct scientific research to measure the efficacy of installing wildlife-resistant containers. This is important because conservation and management actions should be based on sound science. Currently, the scientific and management communities do not know how bears respond to the installation of wildlife-resistant dumpsters in real-life situations. Do bears stop frequenting areas when wildlife-resistant containers are installed? Do bears begin or increase behaviors such as breaking into homes and vehicles? As the interface between humans and wildlife increases, the answers to these questions will have significant implications for wildlife management and community planning.
This research includes treatment dumpsters (wildlife-resistant dumpsters) and control dumpsters (regular dumpsters), as well as pre-treatment and post-treatment data. The New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, and a master’s student from East Stroudsburg University, trapped research bears during spring 2008 and attached satellite collars. They tracked bear movements throughout 2008 (i.e., pre-treatment data). During February, 2009, we installed bear-resistant, retro-fitted lids for 25 dumpsters in the study area. Bear movements have been tracked during 2009, after wildlife-resistant capability was achieved in half of the study area (i.e., post-treatment data). In addition, bear activity at both treatment and control dumpsters has been monitored using motion-sensitive cameras during both 2008 and 2009.
Our research study also includes a survey which measures the success of installing wildlife-resistant containers in terms of human dimensions. We developed and delivered the first round of the survey in 2008, before bear-resistant capability was achieved. We delivered the second round of the survey in winter 2009, after bear-resistant capability was achieved. Data are currently being analyzed and results from Phase I of the research will be disseminated in fall 2011.
Currently, we are deploying Phase II of the New Jersey Project. We are providing bear-resistant containers (in phases) to the remaining half of study area that currently has regular dumpsters. Simultaneously, we will continue conducting research to determine how bears respond behaviorally as more and more areas in the study community become bear-resistant.
Education Component of the New Jersey Project
Bear Trust is deeply committed to education. One goal of the New Jersey Project is to educate children by engaging them with innovative education opportunities.
The Education Program is currently half-way completed and is expected to be ready for deployment in spring 2012. This program is rooted in ongoing research and will provide educators with a scientifically accurate curriculum to help develop students’ awareness, knowledge,and skills for bear conservation. In addition, this curriculum is designed to teach and hone skills in math, science, problem-solving, critical thinking, and communications.
The curriculum consists of grade-level appropriate lessons and supplementary materials that meet national science standards. Lessons are designed to encourage student inquiry, use real data collected on wild bears, and reflect the diversity of the targeted students and communities.
The Education Program encompass three areas of concentration: 1) basic biology (anatomy and taxology, dentition and diet), 2) Population Ecology (using capture-recapture data to estimate population survival, recruitment, and growth rates), and, 3) Habitat Selection and Movement (radio telemetry, satellite movement data, GIS, den site selection). The lessons are being targeted for each of the following four age groups: 1) K-2nd grades, 2) 3rd-5th grades, 3) 6th-8th grades, and, 4) 9th-12th grades.
Photo credit: Kelcey Burguess/NJDFW