Irate lawmaker would share bears (MARYLAND)

The Washington Times (AP) ^ | February 4, 2005 | Gretchen Parker

[tgslTakoma]

ANNAPOLIS — A bill introduced yesterday would save the black bears of Western Maryland — by spreading them into every county of the state.

House Minority Leader George C. Edwards of Garrett County offered the modest proposal in part to highlight differences between rural and suburban parts of the state.

For years, Mr. Edwards and his Western Maryland colleagues have watched as lawmakers from suburban jurisdictions — such as Prince George's and Montgomery counties — have tried to enact laws banning bear hunts.

"If these people want to tell us we have to live with the bears, they should be willing to accept the bears," the Republican lawmaker said.

(SNIP)

His bill would require that black bears be trapped and released in other parts of the state, balancing Western Marylanders need to get rid of the bears with suburban Marylanders desire to protect the creatures.

(SNIP)

Last fall, Department of Natural Resources (DNR) officials allowed the first black bear hunt in 51 years, in an effort to thin the populations in the mountains of Garrett and Allegany counties and to reduce human-bear conflicts. They set a kill limit of 30 bears and halted the hunt after 20 were killed in a single day.

(SNIP)

Delegate Barbara Frush, Prince George's County Democrat, last week introduced her second attempt to ban black bear hunting in Maryland.

So far, her bill has 24 co-sponsors.

Mr. Edwards' push to disseminate the animals across Maryland is "ridiculous," she said.

"I think it makes a mockery of what the real intent of my bill is," Mrs. Frush said. "He's trying to make fun of something that I, and others, feel is very important."

(SNIP)

[tgslTakoma]

It's Friday. I thought we could have some fun mocking and making fun of Delegate Frush and her fellow bear-hugging pals, who want western Marylanders to continue to deal with a booming black bear population.

Mrs. Frush, if allowing controlled hunts of black bears will save just one life, then aren't they a good thing?

[RebelBanker]

From the article: "It's a point well taken," said Mike Slattery, an assistant DNR secretary. "But it really is counterintuitive to our efforts to slow their expansion into unoccupied habitats in the state."

Can we just color this clown clueless?

[Bigg Red]

I love it!

Edwards sounds like a very clever fellow. I hope he can swing a law that forces some of these liberal legislators to take into their homes some of the illegal aliens that they say we should welcome to Maryland.

I am no wildlife expert, but I wonder if spreading the bears around would help to thin the deer populations in other parts of the state where the deer are a problem.

[zygoat]

LOL! This is great! I want to ship them some of our rattlesnakes and copperheads too!

[sinanju]

I am no wildlife expert, but I wonder if spreading the bears around would help to thin the deer populations in other parts of the state where the deer are a problem.

I doubt it. I get the distinct impression the bears and deer interact only when the bear drives the deer away from it's favorite trash can or orchard. The fact that twenty bears were plugged in a single day of authorized hunting (probably with no more effort needed than to open a window and take aim) tells me everything.

[zygoat]

You might get a kick out of this.

[Viking2002]

I'm a Cumberland boy. Our family home is still there on the ridge on the west side of town. Our neighbor, just across the street, told Mom that she's caught black bears rummaging through her garbage cans a couple of times. Christmas of '03, one of the damned things roared at me from the edge of the back yard. They're everywhere. They're causing wrecks on the highways. It's gotten to the point where the local paper has a regular 'bear watch' column. They're becoming a menace.

Ms. Frush can grow a new organ and perform a reproductive act upon herself. The silly bitch has probably never seen one outside of a zoo, anyhow. The entire state has suffered for decades at the hands of a few left-wing elitests from the D.C. metro area.

[robowombat]

I think a black bear ought to be personally delivered to Ms. Frush as she thinks the nurturing of the bruin population is an 'important issue'.

[sgtbono2002]

Prince Georges and Montgomery Counties and their liberal population run this state,and it sucks.

[Dysfunctional]

You're dead wrong. I hunt Big Run and can tell you that the bears have virtually taken over, running the deer population into the ground. I hunt with a 30-30 and now carry a 45 sidearm.

The last several years in a row I have seen bear while hunting for deer.

They need to knock the bear population back by 2/3 as a minimum .

The only reason for putting bear back into western Maryland was to stick it to the hunters. The commies figured, less deer less hunting.

It has also become an additional danger driving. Last year people started to hit bears with their cars in Cumberland.

Truth is, it is now time to shoot and shovel.

[Bigg Red]

Are you calling our bears lazy? :-)

Okay. How about some wolves then?

[conserv13]

Hi,

I went to Frostburg and have spent a lot of time up there. 6 year plan, I guess.

[blau993]

We'll take several of them in Anne Arundel County, but I don't think they'll last too long. I am constantly amazed at our neighbors in Montgomery and Prince Georges County who can never figure out why we don't have the same problems they do with an out of control deer population.

[Dysfunctional]

I went to Frostburg when Playboy Magazine called it the small college play capital of the world.

How true.

[sinanju]

You're dead wrong. I hunt Big Run and can tell you that the bears have virtually taken over, running the deer population into the ground. I hunt with a 30-30 and now carry a 45 sidearm.

I stand corrected. I guess we now know what really happened to the "Blair Witch" kiddies.

[conserv13]

I guess I am a bit younger than you, but when I was there it was still wild. A lot of fun and beautiful country up there. I did a lot of hiking, skiing, and a lot of *other* activities and still had time to get good grades.

[Dysfunctional]

Wrong agin' there Sa-a-a bu-u-u!

Burkittsville is way down the (Potomac) river a tad from western MD.

It is closer to where we would like to ship the beasties and give the commies a taste of 'bar' meat.

[Salamander]

I'm all for it.
Groups of 40 or 50 set loose in downtown Rockville, Gaithersburg and Baltimore oughta liven things up a bit.

[hey...why should *we* have all the "splendors of nature" fun?]...:))


Got plenty of "coyotes" [*cough* *cough* wolf-hybrids] to spare, as well.
Let's make it a two-fer.

[RebelBanker]

The entire state has suffered for decades at the hands of a few left-wing elitests from the D.C. metro area.

Very true, but I believe that the left-wing-nuts from Baltimore are just as bad if not worse. Remember, Nancy Pelosi's maiden name is D'Alesandro - she is from an old Dem machine family in Little Italy. Her father and brother (Tommy Jr. & III) both served as Mayor of Bawlmer.

BTW, I grew up in Harford County and now live in Carroll County - one of the reddest districts in this very blue state.