The Black Bear Conservation Committee (BBCC) is a broad-based coalition of concerned individuals and organizations working in a spirit of cooperation to manage and restore the Louisiana black bear to suitable habitats within its historic range. The information included in this newsletter is designed to keep those interested in this unique effort up to date with Committee progress and hopefully encourage participation from other interested parties. Chairman's Comments In October of 1990, a group of professional resource managers representing state and federal agencies, forest industry, conservation organizations, the agricultural community, and academia met in Alexandria, Louisiana, to organize the Black Bear Conservation Committee (BBCC). Their purpose was to formulate a strategy for the management and restoration of black bear in the tri-state region of Louisiana, Mississippi, and east Texas. Working together, this innovative public and private sector alliance has made tremendous progress since that initial meeting. Highlights of the progress achieved by the BBCC to date include: • The BBCC has raised the public's awareness of the need to actively address management and restoration of black bear. There are now over 50 member organizations in the BBCC working together to develop a management strategy that considers the needs of the bear as well as those interests that will be affected by a larger bear population. • A BBCC Coordinator position has been created and staffed. Mr. Paul Davidson, BBCC Coordinator, is ably serving in an administrative and extension capacity, working with agencies, landowners, and resource managers to include black bear management in land use decisions. • Research objectives have been identified, and the BBCC serves to coordinate regional research efforts among federal, state, private and corporate stakeholders, thereby avoiding unnecessary duplication of effort. To date, over $600,000 has been committed to black bear research in the region. • The BBCC has developed and published a "Black Bear Management Handbook" to assist landowners and resource managers who wish to by Jimmy Bullock, BBCC Chairman incorporate practices that promote the black bear and its habitat into the overall management of their land. • The BBCC has initiated develop ment of a comprehensive restoration plan for black bear in the three state region. This plan, the initial draft of which has been completed, identifies actions that benefit the bear and its habitat, and promotes the philosophy that bear are an asset to the landowner rather than a liability. I would like to take this opportunity to thank each of you who support, either actively or passively, the efforts of the BBCC. Though there remains much to be done, there are indications the past downward trend in bear numbers and bear habitat can be reversed. Current U.S. Forest Service survey data for Louisiana and Mississippi indicate a leveling off and /or reversal of the decline in forested habitat within the bear's historic range. The decline of forested habitat in the South Delta Parishes of Louisiana (i.e. Atchafalaya Basin) slowed appreciably during the last survey period, and forested acreage actually increased in the North Delta Parishes (Tensas Basin). In Mississippi, total timberland acreage increased within the historic range of the bear. Other data from both states indicate the quality of potential bear habitat is improving as (1) hardwood forests are replacing pine forests on many upland sites, (2) sawtimber acreages are increasing and (3) hardwood growing stock is increasing. Since 1986, over 350,000 acres in the range of the bear in Mississippi and Louisiana have been reforested through the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Additional acres have and will be reforested through other conservation initiatives such as the Wetlands Reserve Program. Attitudes of landowners and the public in general are changing and there is growing acceptance of the black bear. The bear should be viewed as an asset, a unique and treasured wildlife heritage. People are learning that with responsible planning and management, the bear can coexist with many land uses, including forestry, agriculture and outdoor recreation. Mississippi and Louisiana Congressional delegations have strongly supported black bear management and restoration efforts. The public has developed a lack of tolerance for the illegal poaching of black bear. In one instance in Mississippi, hunting clubs raised a reward of several thousand dollars for the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for illegally killing a black bear. Defenders of Wildlife, in cooperation with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries through Operation Game Thief, has initiated a major reward program for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone who illegally kills a Louisiana black bear. The civil penalty for killing a bear in Louisiana has been raised to $10,000 and efforts are underway to do likewise in Mississippi. The black bear is now the official state mammal in Louisiana. Perhaps the best hope for black bear restoration in Louisiana, Mississippi and east Texas rests with the continued efforts of the Black Bear Conservation Committee. As stated in a letter from the BBCC to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: "If restoration of the black bear is to be successful, we believe it will be through this new alliance of public and private interests working together solely for the sake of the resource and nothing else. The Black Bear Conservation Committee pledges to continue its role to that end". More important are the attitudes of those who read this publication. The BBCC asks that you support the goal of maintaining a healthy black bear resource, and restoring a truly unique and magnificent wildlife heritage. Working together, the BBCC will result in a positive situation for all stakeholders, and most importantly, for the black bear. A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Lists Louisiana Bear Final Rule Exempts Normal Forestry Management Practices s of February 6, 1992, the Louisiana black bear (Ursus americanus luteolus )has been listed as a threatened species under the authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973. The Service also designated all free-living bears within Louisiana, southern Mississippi and eastern Texas as threatened due to similarity of appearance. The ruling includes a special rule allowing normal forestry management practices in occupied bear habitat with certain limitations. The Service determined that the Louisiana black bear should be listed as a threatened species based on several factors, the most significant being habitat loss. The suitable habitat in the region had been reduced by 80 percent by 1980 and through the early 1980's another 165,000 acres were cleared annually. It was felt that the traumatic losses of bottomland hard wood forests and forested wetlands show that existing regulatory mechanisms for protection of such habitats are inadequate. If illegal killing is also proven to be a threat to the bear, the possibility of stiff penalties associated with the Act in addition to state laws and regulations may serve as a deter rent. In its final rule, the Service stated that it had assessed the best scientific and commercial information available regarding the past, present and future threats faced by the Louisiana bear and believed that the animal meets the criteria for protection under the ESA. Endangered status was not chosen because the threats were not believed to be such that the bear was in imminent danger of extinction. To avoid unnecessary permitting requirements the Service promulgated a special rule exempting normal forestry management activities. Based Defenders Announce A $25,000 reward fund to com- been announced by the national group Defenders of Wildlife. Defenders will provide up to a $5,000 reward to any individual or group of individuals providing information leading to the conviction or plea bargain resulting from the illegal take of a Louisiana black bear. The reward fund is being sponsored in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries through Louisiana Operation Game Thief, and the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. The project has been endorsed by the BBCC. "Defenders' reward program should help provide an insurance policy to discourage, and ultimately halt, the poaching of the Louisiana bear throughout its entire range" said Roger Schlickeisen, President of Defenders of Wildlife. A press conference was held at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans to announce the reward fund. With Defenders of Wildlife at the press conference were representatives from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Louisiana Operation Game Thief, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the BBCC, and special guest Theodore Roosevelt IV. Also present were staff from the offices of U.S. Senators J. Bennett Johnston and John Breaux. Both Senators have been enthusiastic supporters of efforts to restore the Louisiana bear. on recent studies in the Tensas River Basin in Louisiana, the Service takes the position that habitat needs of the Louisiana black bear are compatible with normal forestry management as practiced in this animal's range. Some restrictions pertaining to den trees are included in the special rule. Because of their importance, actual den trees or candidate den trees in occupied Louisiana black bear habitat are to be maintained. More or fewer restrictions in the special rule may become appropriate as results of ongoing research and recovery planning are assessed. For further information contact: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Jackson, MS 39213 BBCC Produces Poster to Educate Hunters W ith a grant from the Louisiana Chapter of Safari Club International the BBCC produced, printed and is distributing posters to educate the hunting community about the status of the Louisiana black bear and the legal ramifications involved in harming one of these animals. Included in the information on the poster are the phone numbers of the state and federal wildlife agencies as well as Operation Game Thief and the BBCC Coordinator. The $5,000 reward for information leading to a conviction or plea bargain in bear poaching cases is also highlighted. Just over half of the $3,000 grant was used in the production of the 2500 posters. The remainder will be used to produce an educational brochure that will include the same information with some additional general information about bears in our region. Chairman Jimmy Bullock receives LWF Conservation Organization of the Year Award from Secretary Joe Herring of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. T he Black Bear Conservation Committee has received two very prestigious conservation awards. At the Louisiana Wildlife Federation's annual meeting in February of 1992, the BBCC received the award for Conservation Organization of the Year for 1991. The award, part of the Governor's Awards Program for Conservation Achievement, was presented to Jimmy Bullock, chairman of the BBCC. The group had been nominated by Anderson-Tully Co., the Louisiana Forestry Association, and The Nature Conservancy of Louisiana. The BBCC was selected as Conservation Organization of the Year for 1992 by the Mississippi Wildlife Federation. Chairman Bullock received the award at MWF's 33rd Annual Conservation Achievement Awards Banquet in Jackson, Mississippi, on February 6,1993. These awards represent the efforts of many individuals and organizations who have given their time and energies to make the Black Bear Conservation Committee a success. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!! Funding Approved For Land Acquisition at Tensas River NWR A $1.98 million addition to the U.S. Department of Interior budget was approved by Congress in Fiscal Year 1993 for purchase of land for additions to the Tensas River NWR. U.S.Senator J. Bennett Johnston (D-LA) initially requested $9 million to complete the aquisition of land at the Tensas Refuge. The U.S. Senate approved the entire request, but the amount was pared down in Conference Committee. The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and The Nature Conservancy are negotiating with landowners on a cooperative purchase and hope to buy as much as 5,000 acres. Support for BBCC W ithout the support of all of its members the BBCC would not have succeeded in accomplishing what it has. The commitment and cooperation exhibited by the BBCC is unprecedented in dealing with controversial resource management issues, especially those concerning a federally listed species. The day to day operations of the organization also require significant financial and manpower resources. The BBCC would like to thank the numerous organizations that have donated money and/or significant manpower to make our efforts fruitful. A very special thanks goes out to: Fisheries and Parks, Mississippi Mississippi Forestry Association, |