MAINE, USA — With a rare exception to some late snow storms arriving at desperate ski resorts this month, it has felt like spring throughout Maine long before this year's March 19 equinox.
That means black bears are emerging from hibernation weeks before they typically would.
The bears usually begin hibernating in November, depending on how much food is still around, and become active again sometime in April depending on if spring has sprouted enough plants around them to eat.
Climate change affects both of these variables.
Researchers like Lindsay Seward, a principal lecturer of wildlife ecology at the University of Maine, are keeping an eye on any impacts this would manifest in the years to come. But she said even if some of the bears' food sources move with the weather to come, the omnivorous eaters are incredibly resourceful.
"They’re eating ants; they’re eating raspberries; they’re eating acorns and are able to exploit those foods," Seward said. "So, I think, yes, bears are resilient to some of these changes."
State Black Bear Biologist Caitlin Drasher echoed those sentiments. But some potential bad news? Unpredictable seasons make for unpredictable bear encounters.
"Black bears are really resilient, so even if we’re seeing earlier springs, if green vegetation is coming up on the landscape earlier as well, there’s food for them to get into—natural foods—that I’m not too concerned about their population; they’re really adaptable," Drasher explained. "The more of the concern is, if they’re getting up earlier and people aren’t prepared with bringing in their attractants—securing and taking in bird feeders, securing garbage, those types of things—we could see more conflicts earlier in the spring that people might not be prepared for."
The current population is healthy, Drasher reported, with 25,000-30,000 black bears roaming the state. There are currently 60 wild bears wearing transmitter collars, providing crucial data to researchers.