The last time I heard a statistic, there were more than a bear per square
mile at Philmont. It my understanding that such a density is a little
thick. One lean year in 3 should not a change in policy require. If we
were talking 3-4 years of sustained and significant drought and we had a
drastic population drop so that the survival of black bear in that territory
was in question, well, that would be something where superhuman effort might
be justified. A single dry year, after 2 very wet years, does not signify
any effort at all from the humans, no matter how well-meaning. All it can
do is undo most of the efforts of past years in making Philmont safer while
not endangering something we hold so dear. We are always very careful with
the bears, but to a person, the bears are something very desirable. I would
suggest that, were it not for the bits of excitement and that little bit of
a feeling of danger from bears, mountain lions and turkeys, we would feel
like something were missing from these expeditions.
Fire, well that might be something the human population can spend some
effort in trying to thwart. But let's leave the bears alone, let them go
through their own process, and let mother nature keep the population in
check the way she knows best.
Joe Tavares
Lead Advisor Philmont '04, '06
Wood Badge (not the 21st Century), Philmont '00 at Zastrow
Troop 728, Richardson, TX
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-philmont@troop47.com [mailto:owner-philmont@troop47.com] On
Behalf Of Joseph Jansen
Sent: Thursday, March 02, 2006 9:37 PM
To: Multiple recipients of list philmont
Subject: Re: [Philmont]: Please don't feed the bears
I am familiar with the point of view that people should stay out of natural
ecosystems. There is considerable merit to it. A lot depends on just how
level the playing field is. If the ecosystem is collapsing because of
severe drought then some intervention may be called for. In general it
should be possible to prepare something "bearable" for a bear to eat without
giving it a human smell or the smell could be masked with something
odiferous the bears consider OK.
The theories of survival in the wild make sense when the ecosystem is
basically sound. If it is extremely dry this may not be the case.
I am just suggesting that some thought be given to this issue. Probably,
knowing Philmont, a review is taking place and likely has been over many
years. I hope the other species of wildlife are part of that review as
well.
>From time to time at Philmont when a bear has become a major problem the
bear has been hunted and killed.
The question in my mind, which led to my post, is whether the dryness is
severe enough that the ecosystem has been crippled. Not likely but I
thought I'd raise the question.
One thing about natural selection is that it operates over considerable
periods of time, and it is unlikely that this mechanism should figure in
wildlife management in general. What should be considered is survival of
diverse species and human management of the survival of diverse species has
been an accepted principle for quite some time.
Just my .02.
Joe Jansen
JAJansenJr@gmail.com
Philmont 1965; Philmont 1978
>From: WHDickens@aol.com
>Reply-To: philmont@troop47.com
>To: Multiple recipients of list philmont <philmont@troop47.com>
>Subject: Re: [Philmont]: Please don't feed the bears
>Date: Thu, 2 Mar 2006 20:38:24 EST
>
>The way to provide bears, and any other species, with the sustenance
>needed to carry them through lean times is simple. Provide diverse
>ecosystems that allow their species, and those others with which they
>interact, the level playing field called "wilderness". It is not a
>good thing to provide food for bears, or any other species because of
>what we consider to be hard times.
>The
>ability of species to go through the feast and famine cycles of nature
>is what assures their natural selection process carries only the best
>selected individuals to procreate future generations. It is a fools'
>folly for humans to attempt to intervene, except in the dire
>circumstance of species extinction.
>
>Understand the ecosystem constraints that bears, and other species, face.
>It is then that we can examine the habitat improvements needed to
>insure their long term survival. That is ultimately what conservation
>is about.
>
> Wade Dickens
>
>P.S. Thanks to Dr. Mark Brinson, my graduate instructor in Ecology at
>East Carolina University, circa 1978, and the many others who have
>taught me about the wonders of nature.
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