Despite dire warnings, state maintains an extended hunting
seasonCEDAR CREST, N.M. - Rising 5,000 feet above semi-arid
grasslands, the tree-covered Sandia and Manzano mountains mark
the eastern boundary of the Middle Rio Grande Valley in central
New Mexico. During good times, these mountains, with their thick
stands of acorn-producing oaks and abundant berries, can support
approximately 120 black bears. But in 2001, when drought and a
late freeze decimated their natural food supply, the bears
descended on garbage cans and bird feeders in nearby
neighborhoods. By the end of last summer, residents filed more
than 60 complaints about trespassing bears, with nearly 20
reported sightings per day. In response, the politically
appointed state Game Commission added a full month to the 45-day
fall bear-hunting season. Fewer bears, they reasoned, would mean
less competition for food, and less foraging beyond national
forest boundaries. But this year, again, drought wiped out the
berry crop and left many oaks barren of