Illinois is set to re-wild the Prairie State, but will they?

 Illinois is set to re-wild the Prairie State, but will they?

https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/PublicActs/View/104-0062

A recently signed law gives the Department of Natural Resources the authority to re-establish wildlife in Illinois, specifically apex animals.

Illinois had a bear in its north west this summer. Bears are expanding in Wisconsin, Missouri, and Kentucky and that all makes Illinois a candidate to take up new populations. Unlike Iowa, the bear is already a protect animal in Illinois so wanderers have a puncher's chance to establish a new home range in relative peace. Southern Illinois and the Mississippi River bluff lands seem like the obvious places for new territories.

The farm lobby and most sporting groups were opposed to the measure. The specter of lions, wolves, or bison damaging crops, stock and property were the most cited reasons.

Bears or lions returning slowly and on their own costs the state nothing. Reintroducing costs a lot of money, and I'm not aware of how "flush" their state budget is.

I don't see the possibility of elk or bison coexisting with row crops, fences, or all the miles of roadway in Illinois. The similarity to Iowa is tight. It's my opinion that the cooperation and trust of the public that live in likely "rewild" areas will cost a lot more than the dollars to release and manage apex animals. Trust in our government is fundamental in a democracy, it transcends agreement or disagreement on given issues.

This law is exciting. It will stimulate a lot of dreaming and probably a good amount of nightmares to boot. The IL-DNR now has the power, will they choose to wield it?

Coming soon to a road near you: bears!

 Coming soon to a road near you: bears!

A recent article in the July 2025 FUR-FISH-GAME magazine was titled, "Wandering Bears in the Midwest" by Jeffrey Goddin. He related accounts as well as state data of black bear sightings and breeding populations in states or places for which it's been hundreds of years.

He generously listed Iowa as having a population in the same list with Wisconsin and Minnesota, that was premature. Goddin did provide information on wandering bears in Illinois and Indiana, as well as recovering population in Ohio and Missouri. Almost all good news in my ledger.

There is a cost to everything. One of those costs is animal-vehicle incidents. As black bears increase in the Midwest it will be no surprise that more accidents will happen. A dark bear crossing the road in the wee hours or at night is a bad combination.

Case in point: June, northern Missouri. The Show Me staters were watching with great attention as a bear/s was making rounds hundreds of miles north of the state's established population. This is totally unexpected as young male bears will go on great journeys in the early summer to seek our new territory with available females.

Tragically the bear was hit by a vehicle in Macon County on Thursday, 12 June; it was euthanized owing to grave injury. What made this doubly tragic was the bear was a breeding age female.

Our car-centric culture and wildlife don't mix. I look to the wildlife overpass and underpass systems becoming normalized in the West as one part of the solution. Other ideas will come. They must because the bears are on their way.

Iowa Black bear season is underway!

 Iowa Black bear season is underway!

I have made a search on a verified bear sighting. It felt good to be walking in the woods looking down for a change. As much as I like to look at birds, the potential of spotting that special ursine plop wins.

It was an earnest search but no sign. I was a day late as it had rained a good piece the day before and there weren't many tracks left of anything. If I counted coyote scat toward the goal, then I could have declared victory.

I'm heartened by the start. If there's one, then there are more. 

Always looking for leads, thank you.

Spring is a time for good news

 Spring is a time for good news.

The Michigan DNR reported that cougar kittens were confirmed in the Upper Peninsula. That was the first known births of the cats in over 125 years. The DNR reported two kittens. The discovery was made on private land. The cougar is a protected species in Michigan, they reported that even trying to search for the cats would constitute an illegal disturbance.

The mountain lion is still a stochastic visitor to the Hawkeye state. Save a female cat that was killed in Johnson county last year, all the recorded cats have been males. If there were kittens in Iowa within ten years, I would not be surprised.

Ursus Iowa is now a 501(c)3! It's been a good summer.

 Ursus Iowa is now a 501(c)3! It's been a good summer.

Glaciers move slowly, but they move. And in doing so they effect great change. I like glaciers.

Ursus Iowa was an idea for about 20 years. It remained mostly an idea until this summer. Now, it's a legit environmental charitable organization and we are looking forward to put all this movement into effecting positive change for the condition of black bears in Iowa.

Stay tuned for project announcements.

We're going to be just fine with the next generation.

 

I got to watch a presentation last week from two boys in a project-based division of the high school. They did research on cougars and black bears and their potential for recolonization in Iowa. The presentation was well-organized and the findings were thoughtful. But their enthusiasm for the way in which they talked about the topic and their work let me know the next generation has the zeal and curiosity to be the conservation leaders we need. Nicely done boys.

Legalizing black bears, to say nothing of cougars, in Iowa is an uphill battle. With teens like these, I know that we will ultimately prevail. It is the faith and conviction that moves mountains.

It's official, it was a black bear, and a male at that.

 It's official, it was a black bear, and and a male at that.

The wheels of justice and science both turn slowly, but they do turn. The black bear does not yet have justice in Iowa, not yet. But the science is in and the scat I collected in May of 2022 was finally confirmed through genetic testing to be a black bear (Ursus americana) and a male of the species. The report, dated 15 February 2024, came from the Laboratory for Ecological Evolutionary and Conservation Genetics at the University of Idaho. Proof!

What's next? What is next is keeping an eye open for reports this spring to make additional scat or hair collections. With a database of genetic markers, biologists will able be to point out source populations. With a source population and known Iowa locations, I foresee the commissioning of a geographical study to predict routes into and through Iowa. Predictable routes will help focus education and observation energies.

This confirmation is a big deal. Scientifically validated observations and data are keys for actions in the US system. Forward!