MONTGOMERY: Schools playing it safe after black bear sightings

The Village and Orchard Hill elementary schools in the district are erring on the side of caution after a black bear was spotted nearby earlier this week and has since been hanging around the

By Charley Falkenburg, Staff Writer
   MONTGOMERY — The Village and Orchard Hill elementary schools in the district are erring on the side of caution after a black bear was spotted nearby earlier this week and has since been hanging around the area.
   Police said the 150 pound, or small, black bear was seen around 11 a.m. on Monday behind Village Elementary School, but were unsure of how far away it was from the school building. They initially received several calls from people who were unaffiliated with the school, but were using it for a function for their organization at the time.
   As a precaution, the students were kept indoors for recess and gym classes that afternoon and the school notified the after-school and evening programs in addition to sending out an e-blast to the community about the bear. At that time, the police started a round-the-clock presence near the school and in the surrounding Skillman Park area.
   Police reported the sightings to the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), but since the bear was not being a nuisance, threatening anyone or causing property damage, police said there was no need for them to come and capture the cub.
   While the bear appeared to wander away for the afternoon, it was seen again around 8 p.m. the same day.
   ”Most of the time these bears don’t spend a lot of time in one place, so it was a bit odd to see the bear in the same location twice in one day,” said Lt. Jim Curry.
   To be safe, police were there to monitor the school Tuesday morning as the students and staff arrived and an officer was posted outside in the afternoon while the children went out for recess.
   However, neighboring elementary school Orchard Hill opted to have recess indoors that Tuesday since their playground is right next to a large wooded area and is not completely enclosed with fencing.
   The bear was again spotted Wednesday morning in the area of Bloomberg at Route 518 and Opossum Road, traveling toward Route 206.
   Lt. Curry said there was no imminent danger to the children in the schools, but as a precaution the school district implemented a higher level of supervision.
   DEP Spokesman Bob Considine confirmed the reports of the Montgomery bear, but described the sightings as “not uncommon.”
   ”It’s not unusual compared to the more northern regions of the state, such as north of Route 78 and west of Route 287 – those are the real hot spots,” said Mr. Considine. “We’ve now seen bears in all 21 counties in New Jersey and I know Montgomery isn’t a hot spot, but they do get them.”
   Aside from this bear, the DEP received several reports of bear sightings in Montgomery as recent as May 13 and 14 in the area of Hollow Road and Brandywine Road.
   Mr. Considine said the black bears are pretty much harmless to people.
   ”But at the same time you don’t want to provoke them,” he added. “They’re mostly dangerous to livestock and pets — they’re looking for food pretty much.”
   Police are continuing to monitor the whereabouts of the bear and communicate the updates to school officials. In an e-blast Wednesday afternoon, Assistant Superintendent Tom Barclay said they would let the community know of any further developments.
   If residents see the bear, police and DEP officials advise them to stay away from it, bring any pets inside, secure any bird feeders and secure or get rid of any trash lying around.