Monday: Protest of Bear Hunt at Whittingham Station in Fredon Twp

The New Jersey Sierra Club is joining other groups on Monday in Fredon to protest the bear hunt and Governor Murphy’s failure to keep his promise to end it. This year’s hunt will have the same number of bears killed as last year, a number that is arbitrary and not conducive with a real bear management plan. New Jersey used to spend more than $2 million a year on bear management education, that money has been reduced by 90%. Ten years ago, New Jersey had bear wardens whose jobs were to manage bears and educate the public. That program has been eliminated. Until we have a real, science-backed plan, we cannot continue hunting New Jersey’s population to unsustainable levels.

WHO: New Jersey Sierra Club Director Jeff Tittel is joining the Animal Protection League of New Jersey, The Humane Society, The League of Humane Voters of New Jersey, and other groups and citizens

WHERE: Whittingham weigh station, Whittingham Wildlife Management Area, 148 Fredon-Springdale Road, Newton (Fredon Township)

WHEN: Monday, October 8^th

• Press Conference at 10:00 am
• Protest from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm

“We asked Governor Murphy to keep his promise and ban the bear hunt, but he didn’t, and that’s why we’re gathering on Monday. The Administration is still allowing bear hunting on private and other non-state lands. The DEP is giving out the same amount of permits as last year. We’re concerned that the bear population will continue to be decimated to unsafe population numbers,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “Without a real management plan, bears will go from nuisance animals to aggressive ones and will need to be put down. The black bear is a symbol that we still have wild places left in the state and that we haven’t completely given over to sprawl. The Murphy Administration committed to stopping the bear hunt and instead having a real management plan and we will hold them to that commitment!”