19 communities seek money for black bear control

There are lot of communities in Florida looking for help to control Black bears.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has received 19 proposals for funding to help communities reduce human-bear conflicts. 
The state has 825 thousand dollars collected from last year's black bear hunt and from the sale of “Conserve Wildlife” license plates to help communities but there are 1.9 million dollars in requests so the money will be spread thin.
Franklin, Gulf and Wakulla Counties have all applied for funding as has the City of Carrabelle.
About half of the money is off-limits to our area because we don't have bear-wise garbage rules in place.
Half of the money will go to local governments that have passed trash ordinances to reduce human-bear conflicts which require residents and businesses to keep their trash secure until the morning of garbage pickup.
There is a reason for that requirement.
Trash is the main reason why bears spend time in human neighborhoods, and requiring that residents secure their garbage can help reduce human-bear conflicts and it doesn't cost a penny.
The FWC plans to announce which communities will receive the bear-wise funding by mid-December.

And if you would like more information about black bears including how to keep bears out of your yard, visit MyFWC.com/Bear.


http://live.oysterradio.com/