BRISTOL, Fla. - The state's black bear management plan was the topic of discussion Tuesday night at a public workshop here.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says Florida black bear numbers have increased and the bear should no longer be on the state's list of threatened species.

Laurie Macdonald, director of Defenders of Wildlife's Florida program, says her group is celebrating the bear's progress, but she notes that several isolated sub-populations are struggling and facing issues such as inbreeding. She thinks the plan should do more to protect them.

"Be sure they bolster the habitat protection provisions; that they bolster the prevention of human-bear conflict provisions."

Unless the state creates habitat links between the small black bear sub-populations, she says, they face extinction threats, shrinking the overall gene pool and undoing their progress. She adds that any plan will take cooperation from the public and other state agencies which oversee public lands and enforce laws.

Ensuring that bear populations are not affected by development, Macdonald says, means identifying lands that could be used as habitat to link the bears rather than separating them.

"We want to be sure that populations are not isolated and that they remain very healthy in their connection with the other said populations of bears."

Macdonald believes another key to bear survival in Florida is preventing human-bear conflict by education and enforcing laws that deter people from feeding bears.

"But if they continue to do it - they know what's right and they're not doing it, they're doing what's wrong - and they're causing a bear to be a bad bear, then law enforcement needs to step in and prosecute."

Defenders of Wildlife says intentional and unintentional feeding and not enforcing the law can result in bears damaging property, which often results in the death of the bear.

Information on the draft bear management plan and the three remaining workshops are online at myfwc.com. The next workshop is Nov. 29 in Naples.



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Beneath the glow of Miami's streetlights and the towering skyline, a rare species of bat clings to survival.

The Florida bonneted bat, one of the most endangered bats in the United States, faces mounting threats from urbanization and habitat loss.

Mylea Bayless, chief of strategic partnerships for the group Bat Conservation International, said conservation organizations are racing against time to protect the species and its fragile habitat.

"The largest population and the most dense population is right around Zoo Miami, which is right in the city of Miami," Bayless explained. "These bats really are endangered neighbors for many of the people that live in Miami, eating insects as they fly over the city at night."

There have been glimmers of hope. Last year, Miami-Dade County reversed a plan to build a water park near Zoo Miami, preserving a critical foraging area for the bats. Beyond habitat loss, the species faces additional challenges, including pesticide use and pollution, which threaten the native insects the bats rely on for food.

Bayless recalled a recent rally near Zoo Miami where she said hundreds of people showed up on a rainy Saturday to show support for the bonneted bats. They voiced concern about the Pine Rocklands, an endangered habitat the bats rely on, along with 23 federally protected species living there as well.

"The community of Miami really came out in force to advocate for the protection of Florida bonneted bats and their habitats," Bayless recounted. "We were really encouraged by all of the community support we received."

Bayless emphasized the need for long-term collaborations to protect the Pine Rocklands habitats and urges the public to appreciate their surroundings, highlighting the rare chance to spot an endangered Florida bonneted bat.


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Conservationists in New York and nationwide will celebrate the 51st anniversary of the Endangered Species Act on Saturday.

Since its passage in 1973, more than 1,600 species in the U.S. have been protected by the law. New York's piping plover and numerous other grassland birds have seen their populations rebound and backers credit this legislation.

Susan Holmes, executive director of the Endangered Species Coalition, said bald eagles are a great example of the law's conservation impacts.

"There are, in New York State, 425 breeding pairs, which means that if you're taking the Amtrak north to say Croton or going north along the Hudson, there's a good chance that you'll see a bald eagle," Holmes pointed out. "All of this is thanks to the Endangered Species Act."

As beneficial as the law may be, barriers prevent it from working to its fullest extent. Holmes noted the biggest issue has been getting sufficient funding. This year, advocates asked Congress to raise its funding by more than $840 million, which would fully fund the program. The amount would ensure each species has at least $101,000 for conservation and protection efforts.

Beyond funding, Holmes feels more people getting involved in wildlife conservation can help strengthen the law. When it first passed, it had overwhelming bipartisan support from Congress and the public. Though public support for the Endangered Species Act remains high, Holmes noted lawmakers' support has waned.

"We've seen some polarization around the Endangered Species Act itself," Holmes observed. "That's not reflected by the public's concern for wildlife nor the public support for the law. So, I think it's true, we are not seeing the same kind of support among Republicans for endangered species protection that we saw back in 1973."

She added it applies more to elected officials who are Republicans than the party's voters. For 2025, Holmes stressed threats from climate change and habitat loss will linger but she hopes there will be a recommitment to fully funding the Endangered Species Act to ensure more threatened plants and animals are able to thrive.

The United States has a national mammal, tree and flower but the status of America's most treasured bird was not always so clear officially or ecologically until now.

Last week, the bald eagle officially became the national bird of the U.S. More than 50 years ago, pesticide use had decimated bald eagle populations. Researchers recorded the lowest number of nesting pairs in 1963, at just 417.

Aimee Delach, senior policy analyst at Defenders of Wildlife, said pesticides like DDT worked their way up the food chain in a process known as biomagnification.

"A species like a bald eagle, which eats a lot of fish, they're essentially getting a dose from everything that those fish have eaten in their lifetimes," Delach pointed out. "Biomagnification is why these pesticide issues show up worst in some of the 'top of the food chain' animals, like bald eagles."

Delach noted pesticides interfered with the bald eagle's calcium levels, which caused eggshells to be weak and less likely to hatch. The federal government banned the use of DDTin 1972 and a conservation law brought the bald eagle back from the brink. In 1973, Congress passed the Endangered Species Act and ever since, bald eagles have made major rebounds.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates the bald eagle population now stands at more than 300,000. Many people assume the bald eagle has always been our national bird but while it has been a symbol on our country's seal for centuries, it had never been officially designated.

Delach added the decision is long overdue.

"It's really fitting that the bald eagle be our national bird," Delach asserted. "There are almost 70 species of eagle across the world but the bald eagle is the only one that's found only in North America. So it really is our national bird, as far as its territory and range."

The Endangered Species Act will celebrate its 51st anniversary Saturday.