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42-573: The forest was established in 1992 and named for James Tillinghast Goethe (1897–1993), a local lumber company owner who donated most of his land to the state for preservation. Other tracts of the land were purchased separately in 2010. The main tract of the forest is also co-managed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission , which declares it the Goethe Wildlife Management Area. The Watermelon Pond tracts were purchased by

84-453: A few divisions, float free in the uterus and do not implant until late November or December. This adaptation allows bears to synchronize reproduction with annual food cycles. Lowered nutritional levels caused by poor acorn or berry production can result in delayed first breeding, decreased litter sizes, and increased incidence of barren females. Reproductive females enter winter dens in mid- to late December and emerge in early to mid-April after

126-559: A final event at Tosohatchee WMA on December 2, 2017. #WMAzing was the tag created for the event and is still in use today. Ursus americanus floridanus The Florida black bear ( Ursus americanus floridanus ) is a subspecies of the American black bear that has historically ranged throughout most of Florida and the southern portions of Georgia , Alabama , and Mississippi . The large black-furred bears live mainly in forested areas and have seen recent habitat reduction throughout

168-538: A food source from other bears. Black bears have good eyesight (especially at close range), acute hearing and an excellent sense of smell that is believed to be the best of any land mammal. Female bears in Florida become sexually mature at three to four years of age. Breeding occurs from mid-June to mid-August, and coital stimulation is required in order to induce ovulation. Black bears experience delayed implantation , where fertilized eggs temporarily cease development after

210-407: A length of between 4 feet (120 cm) and 6 feet (180 cm), standing between 2.5 feet (76 cm) and 3.5 feet (110 cm) high at the shoulder. Their feet have short, curved, non-retractable claws on each of the five digits. Black bears walk with the entire sole of their feet touching the ground. Bears use a pacing stride, where both legs on the same side move together so that the hind foot

252-641: A limited, regulated bear hunt. After numerous meetings (public and Commission), the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission finalized details of a limited bear hunt in September 2015. The purpose of a regulated, limited bear hunt is to provide hunting opportunities per the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. Permits were available to residents and non-residents from Aug. 3 to Oct. 23, 2015, and during that period 3,778 were sold. This number

294-515: A mean denning period of 100 to 113 days. Actual gestation is 60 days, and cubs are born in late January to mid-February. Most studies in Florida have documented an average litter size of approximately two cubs, although greater productivity in Ocala National Forest (NF) in older females and females with previous litters has been noted. At birth, cubs weigh approximately 12 ounces and are partially furred but blind and toothless. Neonatal growth

336-663: A panel of five biologists and wildlife ecologists appointed by the senate to oversee the Black Bear Habitat Restoration Act. Neither bill however, was heard in their first committee of reference and subsequently died in committee. H.B. 491, sponsored by Representative Amy Mercado (D-FL), was filed in the House on January 24, 2017. It was referred to the Natural Resources and Public Lands Subcommittee, Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee and

378-489: A revised Florida Black Bear Management Plan in two years to include more reference to hunting. The objective was to garner public support for bear hunting in the interim. Due to the increased number of people moving to Florida, bear sightings have been increasing in Florida in recent years and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has posted a number of actions that can be taken to discourage bears from lingering in human-occupied areas. Most important has been

420-513: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about a location in Levy County , Florida is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission ( FWC ) is a Florida government agency founded in 1999 and headquartered in Tallahassee . It manages and regulates

462-612: Is a Level Four violation, which is subject to criminal and civil penalties. This bill was not heard in its first committee of reference and subsequently died in committee. On March 17, 2016, various conservation groups throughout Florida led by the Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the U.S. Department of Interior to request that the Florida black bear be listed on the Federal Endangered Species Act . However, on April 19, 2017, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services released

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504-456: Is a crucial part of the process, the commission meets in different locations across the state, giving citizens the opportunity to address the commission about issues under consideration. The seven commissioners of the FWC are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Florida legislature for five-year terms. Typically, commissioners come from different geographical areas of the state to ensure that

546-561: Is placed in or slightly in front of the track of the forefoot; the smaller (inner) toe occasionally does not register in the track. The eyes are small, and the ears are round and erect. Black bears are shy and reclusive. They use various means to express their emotions including vocalizations, body language, and scent marking. They are mainly solitary, except when females have dependent cubs or during mating season. Although they are solitary mammals, they are not territorial, and typically do not defend their range from other bears, but will defend

588-614: Is rapid and cubs weigh six to eight pounds by the time they leave the den at about ten weeks of age. Cubs stay with their mother and may den with her the following year. Family dissolution usually occurs between May and July when cubs are 15 to 17 months old. Females generally form a home range overlapping their natal range, while young males disperse to new areas. Florida black bears live mainly in forested habitats, and are common in sand-pine scrub, oak scrub , upland hardwood forests and forested wetlands. Black bears in South Florida are

630-473: The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) delisted the Florida black bear, based on a peer-reviewed Biological Status Review. The report used the IUCN Red List criteria to evaluate the species' risk of extinction. In addition, the 2012 Florida Black Bear Management Plan was approved and put into action to prevent the subspecies from being listed in the future. While the Florida black bear

672-524: The FWC adequately protects the entire state of Florida, but multiple commissioners from the same city or region are not unusual. Their constitutional duty is to exercise the "...regulatory and executive powers of the state with respect to wild animal life and freshwater aquatic life and shall also exercise regulatory and executive powers of the state with respect to marine life, except that all license fees and penalties for violating regulations shall be as provided by law." The Commissioners as of 2018 : In 2012,

714-683: The FWC adopted a plan on how the Florida black bear should be managed over the next 10 years. It created bear management units based on seven geographically distinct bear subpopulations. In June 2015, the FWC approved "a limited bear hunt to take place beginning October 24, 2015, in four of the seven bear management units". Wildlife management areas (WMAs) conserve nearly 6 million acres of Florida's natural habitat. The WMAs exist to protect fish and wildlife resources, and provide recreational opportunities such as hunting and wildlife-viewing. The first wildlife management area, Fred C. Babcock/Cecil M. Webb WMA,

756-463: The FWC in 2007 and merged with the forest in 2010. Nearby wildlife management areas assisting in the preservation of land in southwestern Levy County includes Gulf Hammock Wildlife Management Area , Waccasassa Bay Preserve State Park , Cedar Key Scrub State Reserve , and Devils Hammock Wildlife Management Area. This article about a location in Alachua County , Florida

798-427: The FWC to examine the effects of roads on bear populations across the state. As a result, over 90 bear crossing signs and numerous wildlife underpasses are found statewide. Despite these efforts, road mortality has not decreased. Between 2014 and 2018, FWC killed 279 bears due to lack of enforcement of BearWise protocols such as feeding bears, whether intentionally or unintentionally. There are numerous laws protecting

840-609: The FWRI, five regional offices, and 73 field offices across the state. As of 2013, the FWC had six divisions: The FWC has 11 offices for administrative purposes: The Florida Constitution authorizes the commission to enact rules and regulations regarding the state's fish and wildlife resources for their long-term well-being and the benefit of people. To do this, the seven Governor of Florida -appointed commissioners meet five times each year to hear staff reports, consider rule proposals, and conduct other business. Because stakeholder involvement

882-642: The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission from allowing the recreational hunting of Florida black bears mothering cubs that weigh less than 100 pounds under a Florida black bear hunting permit; specify a penalty for the unlawful harvesting of saw palmetto berries on state lands; prohibit prescribed burns in certain designated habitats during specified times. This bill was not heard in its first committee of reference and subsequently died in committee. On February 13, 2019, state Senator Linda Stewart filed S.B. 988, Florida Black Bears/ Endangered and Threatened Species Act. It

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924-426: The Florida black bear. Some examples of state protections include: it is illegal to feed bears (F.A.C. 68A-4.001), kill bears because they are deemed a 'nuisance' (F.A.C. 68A-9.010), or sell/purchase bear parts (F.A.C. 68A-12.004 (12)). The Bear Conservation Rule prohibits a 'take' of the subspecies, unless a permit is issued by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (F.A.C. 68A-4.009). On June 27, 2012,

966-746: The Government Accountability Committee on February 6, 2017. The bill was not heard in its first committee of reference and subsequently died in committee. S.B. 1304, sponsored by Senator Linda Stewart (D-FL), was filed in the Senate on February 28, 2017. It was referred to the Committee on Environmental Preservation and Conservation, the Appropriations Subcommittee on the Environment and Natural Resources and Appropriations. The bill

1008-587: The Marine Fisheries Commission, Division of Marine Resources, the former Florida Marine Patrol, and the Division of Law Enforcement of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection , and all of the employees and commissioners of the former Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Commission. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection since then serves as the environmental regulatory agency for

1050-640: The Okefenokee-Osceola population found over 500 bears in each of the two study areas. There is no way to know the exact number of black bears that exist in Florida, although scientific methods provide a range of statistical estimates within which they are 95% confident. A statewide population estimate was conducted in 2014 and 2015 before the hunt. FWC estimated there were close to 4,000 bears from results of spatially explicit mark-recapture methods. They exist within seven subpopulations, which are genetically and geographically isolated. Bear range has expanded over

1092-546: The bills would require conservation efforts including: changing schedules for controlled burns in bear habitat, permanently banning the harvest of saw palmetto berries, and ban sales of timbering rights to acorn producing oaks. The mention of prohibiting the sale of timber rights on state land was in response to land usage in the Florida Black Bear Management Plan which also included grain farming and cattle ranching on state land. The bills would also require

1134-513: The eggs of Alligator mississippiensis . In the fall, they eat Serenoa repens , Ilex glabra , Nyssa biflora , Vespula species, Apis mellifera , and Dasypus novemcinctus . Vehicle-bear collisions are a threat to regional populations and the top known cause of death for Florida black bears. Since 2012, when accelerating habitat modifications began in key locations, over 230 bears have been killed each year on roadways statewide. The Florida Department of Transportation partnered with

1176-440: The last several decades and the recent abundance estimates are higher than those created in 2002 but some citizens fear that habitat continues to be destroyed and believe that their numbers are dwindling. Florida black bears are omnivores. Their diet consists of 80 percent plants, 15 percent insects, and 5 percent animal matter. Usually, the animal matter consists of carrion and is found by scavenging. Their diet varies greatly with

1218-770: The only American black bear subspecies to live in a subtropical region. To a lesser extent, it also inhabits dry prairie and tropical hammock . Before Florida was settled by Europeans, black bears occupied all of the Floridan mainland, and even the upper Florida Keys , with a population of around 11,000. The current range is 45% of the historic Florida range, as well as in southern Alabama , southern Georgia and southern Mississippi . Most major populations of Florida black bears live on or near public lands. These include Ocala National Forest , Big Cypress National Preserve , Apalachicola National Forest , Osceola National Forest and Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge . A study of

1260-660: The population. It is Florida's second largest terrestrial mammal (behind the American bison that are still found in Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park ), with an average male weight of 300 pounds (140 kg); the largest known male weighed 760 pounds (340 kg) and was found in Seminole County and the largest known female was 400 pounds (180 kg) and found in Liberty County. Females generally weigh about half as much as males. Average adults have

1302-968: The prevention of allowing access to food sources such as those maintained for pets or livestock. In residential areas, keeping garbage cans in garages or putting locks on lids, as well as discouraging the use of outdoor feeders and keeping pet foods outdoors have met with success. Electric fences have also proven successful as a means to secure perimeters from bear incursions. Keeping ripe fruit and garden vegetables picked in suburban residential and rural residential areas and cleaning outdoor grills have also reduced unplanned human-black bear interactions. Motion-activated alarms have also been found to be effective in scaring bears away. On December 11, 2015, then-state Senator (now-U.S. Congressman) Darren Soto (D-FL) filed, along with co-sponsors state Senators Eleanor Sobel (D-FL), Joseph Abruzzo (D-FL), Dwight Bullard (D-FL), and Jeff Clemens (D-FL), S.B. 1096, Florida Black Bears. An identical House bill to S.B. 1096, H.B. 1055,

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1344-418: The seasons, likely because many of their preferred species of flora and fauna are seasonal. In the spring, they mainly consume Sabal palmetto , Thalia geniculata , Sus scrofa , Bombus bimaculatus and Camponotus species. In the summer, they primarily eat Serenoa repens , Ilex glabra , Rubus species, Phytolacca rigida, Vaccinium species, Camponotus species, Anisomorpha buprestoides and

1386-403: The state due to increased human development, as well as habitat modifications within bear habitat. Florida black bears are typically large-bodied with shiny black fur, a short tail and many have brown fur on their muzzles. Pelage color is consistently black in Florida, but summer molting of the guard hairs may cause them to look brown. A white chest patch, called a blaze, is found in about 30% of

1428-533: The state's fish and wildlife resources, and enforces related laws. Officers are managers, researchers, and support personnel, and perform law enforcement in the course of their duties. In 1998, an amendment to the Florida Constitution approved the establishment of the FWC with a headquarters in Tallahassee, the state capital , on July 1, 1999. It resulted from a merger between three former offices, namely

1470-632: The state, enforcing environmental legislation regarding air and water quality, for example. In 2004, the Florida Legislature approved to integrate parts of the Division of Wildlife, Division of Freshwater Fisheries, and the Florida Marine Research Institute to create the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) in St. Petersburg, Florida . It has over 600 employees. As of 2014 , the FWC had over 2,000 full-time employees, and maintained

1512-479: Was established in 1941 with Pittman-Robertson Act funds. Since that time, 45 lead properties (see below) have been added to this system. FWC also manages a number of other cooperative properties in conjunction with other agencies. In 2017, the 75th anniversary of the WMA system was noted. Events were held statewide and included a kickoff event on January 21, 2017, at Fred C. Babcock/Cecil M. Webb WMA, several bioblitzes, and

1554-667: Was filed on December 29, 2015, by Representative Mark S. Pafford (D-FL) and co-sponsored by Representatives Dwight Dudley (D-FL) and Ed Narain (D-FL). These bills would require the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to create an account within the Non-Game Wildlife Trust Fund to assist with funding for bear-resistant trash cans and take certain measures to conserve bear habitat. In addition,

1596-643: Was found favorable with a Committee Substitute by the Committee on Environmental Preservation and Conservation on April 19, 2017. The bill died in its second committee of reference on May 8, 2017. The bills are a revised version of the Florida Black Bear Habitat Restoration Act. On December 6, 2018, state Senator Linda Stewart filed S.B. 134, Florida Black Bears. It was referred to the Environment and Natural Resources Committee, Agriculture Committee, Criminal Justice Committee, and Rules Committee on January 10, 2019. This bill would prohibit

1638-648: Was more than the estimated number of bears at the time. The bear hunt took place in four of the seven subpopulations (Apalachicola, Osceola, Ocala, and Big Cypress) on October 24 and 25, 2015. The total kill for the four subpopulations (or Bear Management Units (BMU)) open during the 2015 bear hunt was 304 bears. The breakdown by subpopulation is as follows: • Apalachicola (East Panhandle BMU) = 114 bears • Ocala (Central BMU) = 143 bears • Osceola (North BMU) = 25 bears • Big Cypress (South BMU) = 22 bears In June 2016, FWC Commissioners voted 4–3 to postpone bear hunting. In April 2017, FWC Commissioners directed staff to bring back

1680-543: Was referred to Environment and Natural Resources Committee and Rules Committee on February 22, 2019. This bill would request the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to consider relisting the Florida black bear as a threatened species under the Endangered and Threatened Species Act. This bill was not heard in its first committee of reference and subsequently died in committee. On February 18, 2019, state Senator Jason Pizzo filed S.B. 1150, Wildlife Protection. It

1722-451: Was referred to Environment and Natural Resources Committee, Criminal Justice Committee, and Rules Committee on February 28, 2019. This bill would prohibit the import, sale, purchase, and distribution of ivory articles and rhinoceros horns; provide that it is unlawful to take, possess, injure, shoot, collect, or sell Florida black bears; provide that the illegal taking, possession, injuring, shooting, collecting, or selling of Florida black bears

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1764-582: Was removed from the state list of threatened species, the Bear Conservation Rule (68A-4.009) was adopted at the same time, providing continued protections to the species. The Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission closed bear hunting in all of Florida, except Apalachicola National Forest and Baker and Columbia counties (including Osceola National Forest) in 1974 and closed those remaining areas in 1994. In February 2015, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commissioners directed staff to develop

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