Kimberly G. Smith

American black bear (Ursus americanus) populations in the Interior Highlands, Arkansas, have expanded since reintroduction in the late 1950s and early 1960s requiring management of harvests and nuisance complaints. Success of bear conservation efforts and the effects of nuisance harvests cannot be evaluated without reliable information on population abundance, trends, and distribution. Moreover, concern and interest in bears from the general public, combined with a growing need to integrate land management efforts to conserve biodiversity, have intensified the need for efficient, well-...

Extent and types of damage caused by black bears (Ursus americanus) and landowner attitudes and perceptions of bears were determined by mail survey in Arkansas. Based on 1,353 returned surveys, monetary losses of livestock production attributed to bears appeared to be minimal, but honey production losses were more significant. Nevertheless, only 4.6% of the landowners stated that the damage was intolerable. Eighty-three percent of the respondents indicated that black bear populations should be increased or maintained at their present levels. Respondents that favored lower bear populations...