Black bear sighting closes 5 Rockland County schools

To me this is symptomatic of what ails our society. During the bear-baiting debate in Maine a school in Bridgton was locked down "because a bear was sighted in the area." Imagine: free-roaming wildlife! The Sportsman's Alliance of Maine even used the incident in its TV propaganda campaign to convince the public that black bears are dangerous and need to be control with bait hunting.

Reminds me of a co-worker who vowed not to take his kids out to the local state park because, as he said, there might be snakes! Ohmawgosh.

Ted, If you were responsible for the well being of the children, what would you do?

Mr. Skowronski: I have been and AM responsible for the well being of children. And I have always taught them to respect wild animals and keep their distance but also to appreciate them and not become paranoid, lily-livered, citified, precious, suburbanites who dive under their desks at mere rumors of black bears and who believe that nature is something we must insolate ourselves from.

Ted, regardless of your ideas on teaching children, which I agree it is good to teach children, it is unwise, foolish, just a bit caviler to disregard the advice of the police dont you think? I would have used the opportunity to ask a warden or bear biologist to stop by the school and speak to the children about bears and safety soon after the incident. It may well be planned.

Bobby

Five schools closed from a black bear sighting? That seems a bit too much.

If we raise children to be fearful of the outdoors, why would they want to be sportsmen/women when they grow older?

I agree with you Ted! Proper bear education is what is needed, not closing the schools because of a black bear sighting. Plus the children are probably better off in school than at home where they would probably be outside playing and have a greater opportunity to come in contact with a bear. Most black bears will usually not confront humans as long as they do not feel threatened and do not have a cub nearby. Society today is more about avoiding an issue and not helping children learn what to do in challenging situations. As civilization encroaches on the habitat of wild animals, there is a greater need to educate people on what to do when they encounter wild animals. I have been a Boy Scout leader for 12 years and it is our responsibility to inform and educate young scouts on what to do and what not to do in the wilderness. Proper education allows them to make good decisions and still enjoy a campout that puts them in closer contact with wild animals.

Indeed! And, for me and my children, the rare chance to see a black bear in the wild is a major treat. Had I been the teacher, I would not have locked down the school. Instead, I would have taken the kids on a field trip in hopes of spotting the bear. Re. Mr. Skowronski's previous post about the alleged importance of always heeding the advice of the police, my experience is that the police often have good advice and often have bad advice, and that citizens must learn to distinguish. For example, recently an officer ordered me to get off the ice because it was "unsafe." I politely thanked him for his concern and informed him that he could drive his cruiser on the ice because it was 12 inches thick, despite the two inches of meltwater on the surface. At this point he got ugly. And I got ugly back, informing him that his job started when and if I fell through. He drove off, and I kept on jiggering.

There are pro's and con's to all of the opinions here. Yes, we should not scream and run like little pansy's at the mention of the word black bear. I think everyone can agree that they are more afraid of us than we should be of them. As far as the school children, I would be inclined to believe that the particular bear is raiding local trash, that is what has brought him / her this close to people. My main concern would be that a bear would be more prone to attack a small child than an adult, so... if there was a person running around these schools that had the capacity to attack would it be wise to close the school? Yes.

BobH: Your analogy fails. First, the bear wasn't "running around these schools." It was merely observed in the general vicinity of one. Second, there was no reason to believe that the bear was raiding trash, and so what if he was? Here is an accurate analogy: 1. Women "have the capacity to attack [and kill]" children; in fact, they do so far more often than black bears. 2. A woman was spotted walking on a street near one school. 3. Ergo, we close five schools.