Residents rally to protect bears by opposing land sale
Residents in Central Florida's "bear country," where a black bear with cubs mauled a woman earlier this month, are fighting a state plan to sell off 27 acres of conservation land on the edge of the Wekiwa Springs State Park, a few miles from the site of the attack.
"You're just putting more and more pressure on the bears," said Randall Turner, who organized "Speak Up Wekiva," a group opposed to the proposed sale. "We're moving into their area then we complain when they get into our garbage, damage our property and attack our pets."
He and his wife, Emily, have resided on 2 1/2 acres adjacent to one of the parcels for 10 years.
The publicly owned parcels in Seminole County are among the last undeveloped acres on Markham Woods Road, an area noted for both its affluent neighborhoods and its wildlife.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-shrinking-black-bear-habitat-20131227,0,787508.story