Derek Lacey

Asheville Citizen TimesView Comments

https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/2022/03/01/nc-wildlife-commission-allows-hunting-bear-sanctuaries-critics-plan-appeal/6972275001/

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The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will open more than 92,500 acres in threebear sanctuaries in Western North Carolina to hunting, after voting Feb. 24toallow permit hunting there and change thenames to “management areas.”

At its February meeting, the commission unanimously supported the rule change for the 2022-23 season after considerablepublic input and opposition, a move toward the state’s goal of managing bear populations and human-bear interactions.

The rule change received “significant public comment,” according to a wildlife commission announcement. “After careful consideration, the rule passed unanimously. The Commission also voted to amend the name of these areas from Designated Bear Sanctuaries to Designated Bear Management Areas.”

Critics have pushed back against the rule change, questioning whether there is a population or interaction problem, the data used to justify the change, and how effective the hunting will be in accomplishing the…