Long Lake resident Caleb Davis has long been fascinated by the town’s logo, which depicts a mother bear and cub. But that’s also a sight some see in real life in the small town.
“Curious. Strong,” Davis said of bears. “It’s a great animal.”
What You Need To Know
- Bears can be dangerous as they approach homes to find sources of food like open trash cans
- One Long Lake resident is hoping to convince the town to purchase bear-proof trash cans
- The dangers bears present can lead to them being put down, with four euthanized in Long Lake last year
It's also that curiosity and strength, though, that is now causing an issue in Long Lake and other Adirondack towns because bears have such a short period of time to fatten up for winter.
Bears’ hunt for food begins in the spring, usually in forests, but eventually moves to communities like Long Lake where some people — who may not know any better — either leave food out for the bears or leave their trash cans wide-open.
“They get food once and they'll come back. If they get it two or three times, they'll come back forever. And if they don't get enough food when they come back, that's when they start going into the houses,” Davis said.
That’s not an exaggeration. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has video showing a bear on the hunt for food, opening the door to a home. And obviously, that's where things get dangerous.
“There's always going to be new nuisance bears. That's not the issue. The question is whether or not we're contributing to the problem,” Davis said.
The DEC has been forced to euthanize bears since 2017 because of this danger. There have been 28 bears killed in Hamilton County alone, and of those, eight were in Long Lake, with four coming just last year.
“It's only natural for them. They're just trying to survive. But we could do a better job of helping them by not providing them food,” Davis said, noting the bears can be victims, too.
Davis brought a petition with 550 signatures to the town of Long Lake, hoping to replace the town’s trash cans — ones that are popular for bears — with bear-proof cans that Davis said he’s already secured grant money for. The grants would cover the cost of cans, but the town would incur the costs of the cement foundation needed, along with cleaning and maintenance.
“If the town doesn't have to pay for any of this, it's a pretty easy deal,” Davis said after delivering the petition.
This year, the town waited until after the spring — when the bears had started that main hunt — to put out its trash cans. The town is reviewing the petition but isn’t expected to take any further action.