Bear Wanders Around Nanuet

NANUET, NY — A bear has been sighted in Nanuet and Clarkstown police and Nanuet school officials have put the word out to beware.

Clarkstown police posted a video on Facebook of the bear crossing the parking lot at Normandy Village and then running back.

After the bear was seen near Grace Street and College Avenue, all Nanuet students were brought indoors, Superintendent of Schools Kevin R. McCahill said in a notice to parents.

While a third of New York state's black bear population is found in the Catskills, bears are now well established in many other areas, including the Hudson Valley, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation.

The leading cause of bear complaints in the state is bears getting into residential garbage and birdfeeders.

Bears can obtain all of the nourishment they need from the forest, but they are intelligent and opportunistic animals. They will find and consume the easiest food they can access.
Bears must often cross roads and pass through developed areas to find the varied habitat types that produce their seasonal food sources. They often find human foods readily accessible along the way if homeowners do not take necessary precautions. Not every bear that passes through a developed area is a 'problem bear'. However, available human food sources can quickly turn them into one.

If there's a bear or bears in the neighborhood, the DEC recommends keeping garbage cans sealed and indoors. If you have curbside garbage pickup, take out trash just before your scheduled pickup. Do not put garbage at the curb the night before.

Do not place meat or bones in compost piles.

Mask garbage odors with ammonia-soaked rags.

Remove the grease can from grills after every use. Turn the grill on "High" for several minutes after you are done cooking to burn residual odors off the grill.

More tips:

• Do not place food outside. Any food items used to attract birds, squirrels, or other wildlife will also attract bears.
• Do not feed pets outside. Even an empty dish can attract a bear.
• Do not operate refrigerators or freezers outside or on porches. Bears can smell what is inside.