BEARLY BATH
Police chief: Time to educate ourselves
By ROB PRICE THE COURIER-ADVOCATE

PHOTO PROVIDED BY BATH POLICE DEPARTMENT A black bear walks along the railroad tracks between the Conhocton River and Bath's business district in this photo snapped by Bath police Officer Stephen Hawken using his cell phone camera. Bear sightings are becoming more frequent in the Southern Tier as bears continue a migration from Pennsylvania's Northern Tier.

BATH - You're driving down a country road when, up ahead, a large black dog ambles across the highway. At least - it looks like a dog. But it sure doesn't run like a dog; it sort of ... rolls.

Then you realize the truth: The dog is a bear. A wild bear. And it's right in front of you!

Wow!

Actually, according to Bath police Chief David Rouse, wild bear sightings aren't so much of a "wow" experience any more. Black bears are visiting Southern Tier villages and crossing area highways with increasing frequency.

"This year alone, we've probably had at least 10 to 12 sightings or incidents involving bears," Rouse said last week.

The most recent bear incident in Bath involved a motorist striking a bear cub crossing West Morris Street near Tops Markets at about 10 p.m. Oct. 11. According police, the driver thought he had hit a Rottweiler. Then, as he watched it run away, he realized it was a bear cub.

Fifteen minutes earlier, Rouse noted, village police had received a separate report of an adult bear walking along the railroad tracks near the Super 8 Motel in Bath. Rouse figures the older bear was the mother of the injured bear cub, looking for her young.

Neither bear was seen again that night, and Rouse speculates the two were reunited and returned to the woods.

According to the New York state Department of Environmental Conservation, black bears have been migrating steadily from northern Pennsylvania into the Southern Tier over the past 10 years.

"The bears are here to stay," Rouse said.

The police chief added local bear activity this year seemed to increase in the immediate aftermath of a search for a lost girl in Mossy Bank Park in late June. People involved in the search operations had several encounters with bears, including a helicopter pilot trying to land in an area that also had attracted a large black bear.

"The bear was not being cooperative," Rouse said. "But eventually it wandered off."

Bears also have been knocking over garbage cans in the park, and the village may have to institute a "carry in, carry out" policy, Rouse said.

"This will require a great deal of education for the public," he told The Courier in an interview last week.

In particular, Rouse said, area residents should become familiar with ways of discouraging bears from investigating backyards, side yards and even garages for food and garbage. Semi-weekly garbage pick-ups at Mossy Bank may have to be increased in frequency. The village may have to look into the possibility of purchasing bearproof garbage containers.

People should also consult DEC officials for assistance with troublesome bears, he added. The local DEC office can be reached at 776-2165.

Rouse warned bears resist relocation efforts. DEC officials recently moved a bear from the Endicott area and relocated it in the Town of Erwin. Two days later, the same bear was found near Endicott. "They have amazing GPS (Global Positioning System) instincts," Rouse said.

Bears can be dangerous. "Any animal who feels threatened will take steps to defend itself," Rouse noted. That means, the next time you see a bear ambling across the road in front of you, don't try stopping the car and getting friendly with it.

"We're just going to have to educate ourselves," Rouse said.