Nature’s Notes: Bears return to Iowa

Imagine sauntering down a trail in Yellow River State Forest and coming face to face with a bear! It could happen right here in East Central Iowa. Early this summer a black bear was photographed near the forest. Similar sightings occasionally have happened the past few years, and a long gone Iowa native seems to be returning.

Prior to settlement black bears were reasonably common in Iowa and across much of North America. Massive habitat change and unregulated shooting eliminated them from all but remote areas. They are now making a strong comeback.

Bears are amazingly adaptable and prolific. They enjoy a varied diet of fruit, carrion, grass, honey, insects and a host of other food. Big males can reach 800 pounds but most are much smaller. Even massive bears can hide in small woodsy places and forage unseen in neighborhoods after dark.

New Jersey serves as an example of how bears can recolonize an area. A few decades ago only a few roamed the wooded northwest corner of the state. No one imagined they would spread, but today bears are common across much of the state, even in heavily urbanized areas close to New York City. The elder Pattersons who live 30 miles west of The Big Apple on Interstate 80 have seen scat and bears around the lake the live on. One of Rich's suburban N.J. cousins had an all too close encounter with a nosy bear one summer evening when it decided to investigate the aroma of a cooling pie set near a screened window in her house!

Black bears are shy animals that rarely pose a threat to people. Attacks on people are extremely uncommon but do happen. So, bears must be treated with respect and caution. The biggest impact of a new bear population is the nuisance factor. They love devouring beehives and smash trash cans seeking food. Because of bears' fondness for birdseed, usually state wildlife departments discourage homeowners from putting out feeders in bear country.

Typically the first animals sighted in a new area are young males seeking mates and a place to live. Females are homebodies who stay fairly close to where they were born. Usually there is a gap of several years after males are spotted before females arrive and have cubs.

No one knows how far bears will spread in Iowa, but with numbers growing in Minnesota and Wisconsin, sightings will probably become more common. Some females may already be living in the northeast corner of the state. They likely will follow timbered river corridors as they move around Iowa.

' Marion Patterson is an instructor at Kirkwood Community College. Rich Patterson is the former executive director of Indian Creek Nature Center in Cedar Rapids.