Native plants for a Cape Cod garden

Back in March of 2011 I wrote about the appearance of bobcats on Cape Cod, now we are actually seeing what some have predicted – the return of the black bear to Cape Cod. The black bear, according to Mass Wildlife, has not been seen on Cape Cod since the 1700s. I refer back to some Cape Cod Woodland Garden posts from last year to describe what may be happening to cause this reappearance.

From “Coyotes on Cape Cod: February 2011”: Those who are not familiar with the Cape Cod of the early 20th century would be surprised to know it was bare of trees, not the quaint vacationland we know today. Basically it was a deforested, barren looking place. But with the salt, ship building and other industries winding down, the trees started slowly growing back. This has happened in much of New England in the past 50 or 100 years. I read recently that New England had more forested acreage that anywhere in the US except the Pacific Northwest, which was honestly shocking to me.

Like coyotes and other animals that are starting to thrive in second growth areas, it is possible that black bears can live in “urban edge” environments. Like the coyote, it is an opportunistic predator. Although black bears were exterminated in Massachusetts during the colonial period, (along with animals like bobcat, beaver, wolves, cougar and elk) Mass Wildlife reports that bears are indeed coming back. ” In 1998, there were an estimated 1750 to 1800 bears in Massachusetts, with the population growing at about 8% annually”. 

The way Barnstable is dealing with this “problem” is to shoot the bear with tranquilizers and relocate.  This is the way coyotes are dealt with in urban areas like Boston, although sometimes the “relocation” is a landfill. (Last year a coyote on Boston Common was shot and killed by police; it reportedly had mange.)  

To me the bear’s appearance is a cause for celebration, it means that a reforested Cape Cod is sustaining a healthy flora and fauna. Like a good restaurant, it’s a attracting a notable crowd from far and wide. But the question arises: do we really want our cake (trees and other flora) and to eat it too (wildlife beyond squirrels)? We could stop attracting these animals by paving Cape Cod over with concrete. Unfortunately some might like that idea, I certainly don’t. I predict that this bear is not an anomaly. Beautiful, wooded Cape Cod is bound to attract more of them.

What is the alternative to relocating these bears? Black bears rarely attack when confronted by humans. The major changes we would need to make would be keeping pets indoors and keeping trash in locked, secured areas to make Cape Cod livable for both human and bear; whether we are ready to make these changes is the question. Accepting these new residents would entail changing our perception of Cape Cod as a tacky playground where urbanites come to play mini-golf to the pre-industrialized wilderness area it is becoming with all of its challenges and blessings. I encourage you to read this article by New Hampshire Fish and Game here that gives some insight and perhaps can allay some fears about these exotic creatures.

Cape Cod Times article