🐻 Why New Jersey’s Bear Hunt Is a Good Thing for Schools

Every fall, the debate over New Jersey’s bear hunt reignites — and as always, the loudest voices are often the least informed about what the hunt actually does. While the headlines focus on animal rights protests and politics, one key truth gets overlooked: the bear hunt indirectly benefits New Jersey schools, communities, and taxpayers.

1️⃣ Safety and Stability for School Communities

Over the past decade, black bear sightings near schools in Sussex, Warren, and Morris Counties have surged. From playground closures to lockdowns prompted by bears near buses, these encounters aren’t rare — they’re becoming routine. When the bear population balloons unchecked, bears wander into residential and school zones in search of food. This creates safety hazards for students and staff, increases liability for districts, and burdens local law enforcement.

2️⃣ Protecting School Budgets and Property

Bear overpopulation doesn’t just pose safety risks — it hits property values and local taxes too. Bears raid garbage cans, damage athletic fields, rip up turf, and tear down fences. When that damage occurs on school grounds, it’s taxpayers footing the bill. By controlling the bear population, the state helps prevent thousands of dollars in avoidable property repairs that could otherwise divert funds from classrooms, teachers, and students.

3️⃣ Teaching Conservation, Not Chaos

Contrary to some talking points, the hunt is not a “free-for-all.” It’s a scientifically managed conservation tool approved by the NJDEP’s Division of Fish and Wildlife. The controlled hunt keeps populations healthy, maintains ecological balance, and provides an opportunity for schools to teach real-world environmental science. Through lessons on wildlife management, population studies, and ecological ethics, schools can use the bear hunt as a teachable moment. — showing conservation sometimes means difficult decisions rather than emotions.

4️⃣ Strengthening Local Economies (and Local Aid)

Hunters spend money locally — on permits, gear, lodging, and food — much of which stays within the rural communities that often struggle with shrinking tax bases. Those same towns also support local schools. The revenue from bear permits and associated tourism feeds into state and county budgets, which in turn support education aid and local services. It’s a small but meaningful economic ripple effect that helps stabilize communities where school funding is always tight.

🏫 The Bottom Line

A managed bear hunt isn’t about cruelty — it’s about balance, safety, and sustainability. For NJ schools, that translates into safer campuses, stronger budgets, and a powerful opportunity to teach the next generation about real-world conservation. It’s time we stop treating the bear hunt like a moral debate and start recognizing it for what it truly is: a practical public policy that helps protect people, property, and public good, including our schools.