In southwest Florida, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is formally accepting the Stoneybrook of Estero community into the BearWise Community Recognition Program. Stoneybrook has met the six BearWise Basics, as well as passed ordinances requiring trash be kept secure from bears.

Stoneybrook of Estero is a community made up of more than 1,000 residences consisting of single-family homes, villas and condos on a championship golf course with fairways winding through lakes and conservation areas. After experiencing recent bear activity, the Stoneybrook of Estero Homeowner’s Association Board of Directors met with FWC staff to discuss ways they could avoid human-bear conflicts. In 2020, the board quickly took actions to ensure residents would become BearWise by enacting rules requiring trash containers be stored inside and not be put curbside until after 4 a.m. on the morning of pickup. The HOA helps residents live with bears without conflicts through monthly newsletters and informational displays.

“Living in Florida, we all are aware that we share the land with various types of wildlife and it is our responsibility to ensure that wildlife can exist without interference from humans, namely feeding them, bothering them and ruining their habitat,” said Bill Reynolds, Stoneybrook of Estero HOA President. “We do this by not planting fruit trees, cleaning up dropped fruit from existing trees, not using bird feeders and keeping our trash containers out of the bears’ reach. A BearWise program includes these steps and makes us better neighbors to our wildlife friends.”

It is important that individuals, communities, and businesses proactively work together to prevent conflicts from occurring in the first place. Prevention benefits people and bears in the long run. To learn more about becoming a BearWise community, visit BearWise.org. More information about how the FWC manages human-bear conflicts is at MyFWC.com/Bear.

Increasing development and growing human and black bear populations have resulted in more interactions between bears and people. As the human footprint continues to expand into bear habitat, there is a growing need for people to take actions to avoid human-bear conflicts. Recognizing this need, wildlife agencies throughout the southeast have been working together to develop a strategy for educating the public on best practices to coexist with black bears. In 2018, the 15 member states of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies launched BearWise®.  

BearWise is a regional outreach effort to provide science-based resources and communicate consistent and effective messaging about actions people can take to keep bears wild and people safe. Securing attractants, such as garbage and bird feeders, is the most effective and long-term solution to preventing and resolving human-bear conflicts. As such, some states have adopted formal BearWise Community Recognition Programs to expand beyond individual actions to reduce conflicts. Communities and businesses in North Carolina, Florida and Tennessee are making the commitment to be BearWise, resulting in positive impacts on people and bears.