NYS Bear Population Discussion in SF

John Van Niel, Chair of the Environmental Conservation and Horticulture Department at Finger Lakes Community College will discuss the NYS Bear population on February 7, 2007 at 7 p.m. at the Seneca Falls Library.The Finger Lakes region has recently seen an increase in black bears as they return to their former range. Find out about the natural history of these fascinating creatures and how we can live peacefully with our newest neighbors.New York State’s black bear population is the third largest in the eastern United States.New York’s black bears are large black creatures of the forest. The largest bear reported from New York weighed approximately 750 pounds. But an average adult male would weigh about 300 pounds and an average adult female would weigh about 170 pounds. Omnivorous black bears eat buds, flowers, leaves, fruits, nuts, stalks or roots of approximately 80 different plants.Although the color of black bears actually varies widely in other parts of North America, over 99.9% of the black bears in New York are jet black in color.Our bears are commonly found in or near large forests in three separate ranges. New York’s 5000-6000 black bears are great travelers and occasionally pass through virtually every upstate county of our state.