How disturbing it has been to see many articles written regarding Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Tom Landwehr’s refusal to make it illegal to shoot a radio-collared bear. The research being done on all collared bears is imperative to their survival and the research work being conducted by Dr. Lynn Rogers is unprecedented. He has opened the eyes of so many, not just in Minnesota or the United States, but worldwide.
I applaud him and his team for the work they have done and continue to do in educating us all on the black bear.
I have always been proud of the Great State of Minnesota, touting its many attributes. It is pristine, beautiful, natural and its citizens still carry on the tradition of “Minnesota Nice.”
So, it was with shock that I read the Feb. 28 Minneapolis Star Tribune in which Commissioner Landwehr is quoted, “Placing a collar and flagging on a game animal shouldn’t ‘reserve’ it for one individual or group. Even in the name of research, individuals or groups shouldn’t be allowed to preempt legal harvest.”
So, it is okay to allow a hunter to shoot a collared or otherwise bear and allow that individual to reserve that specific animal to himself?
According to an Apr. 8, 2010 report on the DNR website, it was estimated that the black bear population had dropped 2,500 in 2002 to 20,000. Asking for protection of between 10-15 bears in the Ely study area is asking for protection of less than 1%.
Landwehr also said, “Most bears are taken in low light at dawn and dusk and it is very likely a hunter could fail to distinguish a marked bear. We don’t want to prosecute people for honest mistakes.”
As an avid hiker, I question if the hunter(s) would see me with my gaudy, colorful clothing if I was walking at dawn or dusk.
I am especially concerned over the article on the hibernating female bear. The DNR and the University of MN drugged her, dragged her from her den, and handed her one-month old cubs off to the many children. It looked like a circus.
I am almost ashamed to call myself a Minnesotan. We can only hope that our state senators and representatives will see what Mr. Landwehr does not.
Judy Herzog
Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany
Richfield, MN
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