Rockland Responds: Town of Ramapo Supervisor Michael Specht Comments on Question About Growing Bear Problems

Hi, 

On Wednesday, April 26th, a dozen concerned mothers attended a Ramapo Board Meeting to address Town leaders about the issue of bears roaming  Olympia Lane and Wallenberg Circle in Suffern. Mothers and children are terrified to even leave their homes! The bear issue has been an ongoing problem since 2019 in Monsey. 

What does Supervisor Specht intend to do to fix this safety concern? 

Thank you.

Suri

Dear Suri 

Thank you for your letter.

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is in charge of regulating the bear population in New York. We have heard the concerns of our residents and have reached out repeatedly to DEC to find a solution. We have a conference call scheduled with DEC for this week to discuss a plan to address this issue, including what the Town can specifically do along with DEC to reduce the possibility of residents'  encounters with bears.

In the meantime, we have directed the Ramapo police to keep a log of all bear sightings which are reported to them so that we can continue to document this problem for the DEC. If a bear sighting is called in to the police, an officer will respond to the location to assess the situation and ensure the safety of our residents. 

Black bears are foragers attracted by easily available food sources, so to help deter their presence, continue to keep garbage can lids secured and avoid having bird feeders and even barbecue grill grease present in the yard, all of which attract bears. "Strong Straps" to secure garbage can lids are available in the Town Clerk's office at cost ($25).

Residents can call the DEC bear complaint line at 845-256-3098 or email [email protected] to report a sighting or problem.

I hope to have a further update once we have again conferenced with the DEC.C.

Michael Specht, Town of Ramapo Supervisor

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