Black bear spotted in Spring Lake Township

Fri, Jun 5, 2009

SPRING LAKE TOWNSHIP — A black bear sighting earlier this week led to safety precautions taken at Jeffers Elementary School, 14429 Leonard St.

The bear was first seen Wednesday morning near Leonard Street in Spring Lake Township, according to Michigan Department of Natural Resources biologist Nik Kalejs.

The Spring Lake Public Schools office was notified, and Superintendent Dennis Furton passed the news along to Jeffers Elementary.

As a precaution, Principal Tom Koops said he made sure the children stayed well away from the adjacent woods. A class that was scheduled for a walking field trip took a bus instead, he said.

"That's a first for me — being on bear alert," Koops said.

Furton said the bear was not considered a threat to students after Wednesday, and school let out for the summer at noon today.

Kalejs said the sighting report was from a credible source.

The bear is likely a yearling attempting to find its own territory, Kalejs said. Bears can travel 80 miles or more from their mother's stomping grounds, he explained.

"This is time of year when a lot of bears are on the move," Kalejs said.

Anyone who sights a bear is asked to call the DNR office at (231) 788-5055.

Kalejs said bears are typically not a threat to people and will usually avoid contact with populations. They often don't stay long in areas with large human populations.

"It's not something that should be looked at as a tremendous safety issue," Kalejs said. "That being said, bears are large animals and are wildlife — and should be treated with proper respect."

Bears have become more common in West Michigan in recent years, Kalejs said. One was found as far south as Battle Creek last year.

"It's clear we're seeing more bear activity in the last decade as bears extend more into these nontraditional bear habitats," the DNR biologist said. "In the last 10 years, it's been very routine for us to have sightings in the spring in Muskegon County and northern Kent County.