We're Going on a Bear Hunt
Citing an increase in the bear population and a rise in the number of bear-human interactions, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, reversed his position on allowing the killing of black bears in the Garden State. He signed an executive order earlier this month that will allow for a six-day hunt in December. (Read my whole article in The Wall Street Journal here)
Animal-rights groups erupted in opposition and said they are planning legal action. Bears can be effectively managed by nonlethal means, they said, and the killing of animals is unnecessarily cruel. The fierce debate that accompanied New Jersey’s actions demonstrates the increasingly politicized nature of wildlife-management decisions—something experts expect will grow over time.
“When suburban sprawl moves closer to the mountains, because people want those mountain views, people are going to have conflicts,” said Paul Curtis, a professor of wildlife management at Cornell University.
The number of New Jersey bear incidents reported to the state in the first 10 months of 2022 more than tripled from the same period in 2021, according to the Department of Environmental Protection. That includes 62 aggressive encounters with humans, 12 dog attacks, 12 home entries, 15 attempted home entries, 89 instances of property damage and 52 attacks on protected livestock, Murphy said in an executive order reopening the hunt.
A spokesman for the governor said restarting the hunt was based on concrete evidence, and said “any assertions to the contrary diminish the tangible threats and challenging realities faced by impacted communities across the state.”
But both proponents and opponents of the hunt said Murphy’s bear policy has been primarily motivated by politics. The governor, who was re-elected last year in a tighter-than expected race, is seen as a potential 2024 presidential contender.
“Being for gun control and against hunting would hurt him with voters in New Hampshire and Iowa,” said longtime environmental activist Jeff Tittel. “He’s sacrificing bears for his political ambitions.”
ACROSS THE HUDSON …
++ New York state regulators Monday approved roughly three dozen dispensaries for the recreational sale of marijuana, despite a recent court ruling that limited the potential locations for stores. (Read the article here)
++ New York has become the first state to restrict cryptocurrency mining after Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday signed a two-year moratorium, calling the move necessary to help protect the environment. (Read the article here)
AND AROUND THE NATION …
After wins in this year’s elections, Democrats say they hope to use newfound power in Midwestern states to pass legislation aimed at protecting abortion access and enacting new gun-control measures, while the incoming Republican governor in Nevada seeks to expand school choice.
The two parties are building out their agendas in the midst of a reshuffling of power in several states. Democrats flipped the state Senate in Minnesota and both legislative chambers in Michigan, meaning members of the party will have full control of government because the states have Democratic governors. Democrats won control of the Pennsylvania House, further dividing government in that state, while gaining control of the governorships in Arizona, Maryland and Massachusetts.
(Read the article here)
THE QUESTION: Which New Jersey governor authorized the first bear hunt?
Know the answer? Drop me a line at jimmy.vielkind@gmail.com. Or just write with thoughts, feedback or to say hi.
THE LAST ANSWER: The two New Yorkers who served as House speaker were John Taylor, in the 1820s, and Theodore Pomeroy after the Civil War. Taylor was from Saratoga County – where I grew up – and is buried in Ballston Spa. Good fuel for if any of us makes it to Final Jeopardy!