Maryland's bears need help. The state government of Maryland, from the governor down to employees of the DNR (Department of Natural Resources or is it the Department of Nature Removal?), supports the eradication of approximately 10% of the state's bears annually.


  There was a moratorium on bear hunting in Maryland for 51 years until, under the administration of Governor Robert Ehrlich (Republican), it was re-instituted in 2005 using a lottery system. $15 could give you the right to take the life of a magnificent being. Now, under the auspices of the "dashing young" Democratic Governor Martin O'Malley, the black bear hunt continues October 22-27 and December 3-8, 2007.


  I recently wrote the governor's office asking for an end to the black bear hunt. I suggested that the reinstatement of the hunt was politically motivated. This was the same argument put forth in 2004 by animal rights groups including the Humane Society of the United States, who suggested the new policy was a reward to the NRA and other hunting advocates for their support of Ehrlich in the 2002 election.  I argued that the Black Bear Conservation Fund continues a program in which Maryland's farmers are compensated for agricultural damage done by the bears. I also pointed out that O'Malley, the Democrat, probably would not gain votes in the next gubernatorial election in the two conservative western counties in which the bear hunt takes place: Allegheny and Garrett Counties. In 2006 in Allegheny County, 57% of the vote went to the Republican Ehrlich, 41% to O'Malley. In Garrett County, 67% of the vote went to Ehrlich, while only 31% of the vote went to O'Malley.


  The Governor's office referred my letter to Maryland's Department of Natural Resources. The supposed stewards of the land wrote back to me stating that "an overabundant bear population presents a public policy issue . . . The highly regulated hunting season is but one component of our bear management plan that is intended to ensure black bears will continue to thrive in harmony with Maryland citizens and the environment." In short, DNR is allowing the extermination of bears for their own good. As if a paltry population of 350 or so bears represents some sort of serious threat to humanity! I assume a must-read at DNR is Orwell's 1984, because this sort of logic is nothing but "doublethink."


  In my retort to the steady paycheck bureaucrats at DNR, I suggested that humans posed a much more serious threat to humanity in the state than bears and using DNR logic, it would be wise to legalize an annual human hunt, in which 10% (approximately 750,000 humans), would be gunned down each year so that humans could "continue to thrive in harmony with Maryland citizens and the environment." I also stated that unless the black bear policy was reversed, I would never support Governor O'Malley again (having voted for him in the 2006 election). Needless to say, I have not heard back from DNR.


  During the First East Coast Three Year Training of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies, which took place in the Catskill Mountains of New York, Michael Harner talked about the murder of black bears. He said that when humans invade an area, they first take down the most powerful inhabitants. In the forests of North America, those inhabitants are the bears. I'll give credit to the State of Maryland-the black bear hunt is regulated and limited. On the other hand, black bears have the right to live. A nine-year old girl took down the first black bear in the 2006 hunt. Her uncle said he was so proud of her because she was getting outdoors. The absurdity is numbing. Many of us who practice shamanism have the black bear as an ally. Most, if not all, of us love these gentle creatures and admire their beauty, their power, their intelligence, and their sensitivity.

What can we Marylanders do? I suggest that you contact the Governor of Maryland and express your feeling and intentions as strongly as possible. You can access an email form at http://www.governor.maryland.gov/mail/ . I also suggest that you email John R. Griffin, Secretary, Maryland DNR; go to http://www.dnr.state.md.us/mailroom.asp .