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Mid Hudson Times , Wednesday , July 5 , 2017

PUBLIC AGENDA

WEDNESDAY , JULY 5

New Windsor Town Board , 7 p . m . Town Hall , 555 Union Ave ., New Windsor .

THURSDAY , JULY 6

Newburgh Enlarged City School District Board of Education , 5 p . m . Board of Ed Complex , 124 Grand Street Newburgh City Council Work Session , 6 p . m . City Hall , 83 Broadway . Town of Newburgh Planning Board , 7 p . m . Town Hall , 1496 Route 300 , Town of Newburgh .

MONDAY , JULY 10

Newburgh City Council meeting . 7 p . m . City Hall , 83 Broadway . Newburgh Town Board , 7 p . m . Town Hall , 1496 Route 300 , Town of Newburgh .

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The Mid Hudson Times , ( USPS 000-5947 ) is a weekly newspaper published every Wednesday at Newburgh , NY 12550 , with offices at 300 Stony Brook Court , Newburgh , NY . Single copy : $ 1 at newsstand . By mail in Orange , Ulster or Sullivan Counties : $ 40 annually , $ 44 out of county . Periodicals permit at Newburgh , NY . POSTMASTER : Send address changes to Mid Hudson Times , 300 Stony Brook Court , Newburgh , NY 12550 .

By SHANTAL RILEY sriley @ tcnewspapers . com

A young bear has been safely returned to the wild after spending a hair-raising day at the Newburgh Waterfront last week . According to police , the black bear was first spotted in an area of restaurants around 11 a . m . on Wednesday , June 28 .

It turns out the bear was a youngster – a male , estimated to be about a year and a half old . Social media was ablaze with posts and alerts by the time he was done gallivanting around the waterfront that afternoon . “ OMG ,” and “ Wow !” were among the reactions generated from Facebook posts on the bear sightings that day .

The bear proved to be a frisky handful . Though he was surrounded by police and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation staff at around 3 p . m ., it took until 5:20 p . m . to dart and immobilize the animal .

DEC Spokeswoman Wendy Rosenbach said the bear was tagged , measured , weighed and transported to DEC ’ s regional office that night . He was released on DEC land in the Catskills the next day , she said .

Rosenbach said it was likely the young bear was recently separated from his family . “ This is the time of year when black bear family groups are dispersing ,” Rosenbach wrote in an email to the Mid Hudson Times this week .

“ Mother bears are forcing their one and a half year-old young away from the home range . A mother will often allow her female young to set up a home range that overlaps hers , but she will force her young males out of her home range to establish their own territory .”

When this happens , young bears can find themselves in unfamiliar territory , she said . “ They have to travel to where they can establish their own home range ,” Rosenbach said . “ Sometimes these travels cause them to end up in areas with humans .”

The bear may have also been searching for a meal . “ Frequently , humans unknowingly create potential food sources for bears that may attract them into close proximity to residential areas and subsequently result in humanbear conflicts ,” the DEC states . “ These conflicts are often associated with activities not intended to attract bears , such as feeding birds , improperly storing garbage , and leaving messy grills and pet food outdoors .”

The DEC advises residents to remove

Isabel Rojas

The DEC says this young black bear , on the loose at the Newburgh Waterfront last week , was captured and released in the Catskills .

bird feeders after April 1 , keep garbage cans sealed and inside a sturdy building such as a garage or shed , and not place food outside where it can attract wildlife .

Feeding black bears is against the law in New York State . Black bears are the only wild species of bear east of the Mississippi River and the only wild bear species in New York State , said Rosenbach .

For more information on reducing human-bear conflicts , visit Dec . ny . gov and search for “ bears ” on the homepage .