Activists: Stop black bear hunt before it starts

  By ANGELA DELLI SANTITRENTON -- Animal protection groups are heading to court Tuesday to try to convince a New Jersey appeals panel to halt this year's black bear hunt in its tracks.

The case is expected to be decided by Dec. 5, the scheduled start of a six-day hunt in the northwest part of the state.

The Animal Protection League of New Jersey and The Bear Education and Resource Group will try to convince the judges that the state's Comprehensive Bear Management Policy is flawed. The policy includes an annual hunt.

The state maintains a hunt is necessary to keep the black bear population in check.

The Department of Environmental Protection recorded 2,667 reports of bear activity this year through October. That number includes bear sightings, attacks on livestock, 46 home entries and 516 reports of bears picking through garbage.

Bear activity has been reported in 19 of the state's 21 counties this year.

Hunters killed 592 black bears last year. It was the first hunt in five years.

The animal activist groups failed to get last year's hunt stopped, but their court case was allowed to continue.

"The black bear policy is full of scientific flaws, self-contradictions and outright fabrications," said Doris Lin, director of legal services for the BEAR Group. "The lawsuit is not about philosophical objections to hunting; it's about integrity and science, both of which are missing from the policy."

For example, she says the number of bear complaints is actually decreasing, and that the state's claims are based on more police departments being included in the reporting data.

A judge acting on a petition to the state Supreme Court refused to grant an emergency stay last year, after an appeals panel declined to call off the hunt.

A similar challenge succeeded in 2007 and no hunt was held. An appeals panel found flaws with the management policy and ruled that the 2005 hunt should not have taken place.

Some 6,680 bear hunting permits were issued for last year's hunt, with each hunter entitled to one bear regardless of age or gender. The DEP maintains the right to halt the hunt early based on the number of bears killed.

The hunt is held concurrently with the firearm deer season. Bear hunting is allowed in the area north of Interstate 78 and west of Interstate 287.

Besides a hunt, the Comprehensive Black Bear Management Policy developed by the Division of Fish and Wildlife includes education, a bear feeding ban and aversive conditioning.

(Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) Get more New Jersey News »

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Man leads LI police on 7-mile chase before fiery crash

  Eyewitness NewsRIVERHEAD (WABC) -- A man on Long Island is under arrest after police say he led them on a 7-mile chase before crashing his car.

Police say officers attempted to pull over Jason Martin around 11:15 p.m. Wednesday in Riverhead because they suspected he was driving while intoxicated.

But authorities say Martin tried to outrun the police before losing control and crashing in the woods.

The car exploded into flames.

Officers managed to pull Martin from the burning car.

He is expected to survive and is facing numerous charges, including DWI and evading police.

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9 Facts About New York You Must Know Before You Go There

I had the pleasure recently to go on a holiday trip to New York. And this is what I discovered. Everything about New York is complex. To fully appreciate the magnificent place, you must know a bit about New York. Here are the top nine little-known facts about New York which I think everyone planning to go there should know:

1. Everyone calls New York City the 'Big Apple'. But why? Where did it come from? The phrase was first popularized by a newspaper editor, John Fitzgerald, who titled his column: Around the Big Apple. He first heard the term, the 'Big Apple', being thrown around by Black stable boys which they used to describe New York City as place of monetary abundance and opportunity.

2. The state of New York has the most extensive and oldest transportation system in the whole of North America. New York City, itself, is home to more than 12,000 yellow cabs, 120,000 bicycles, a huge subway system, bus and railroad systems, large airports, massive bridges and tunnels, ferries, and a aerial commuter tramway (think of a oversized cable car).

3. New York hosted the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid. The US Ice Hockey team, consisting of collegiate and amateur players, was to be up against the favoured Soviet Union team, which had legendary players in world ice hockey. To put it in the words of the New York Times: "Unless the ice melts, or unless the United States team or another team performs a miracle...the Russians are expected to win the Olympic gold medal for the sixth time in the last seven tournaments." The US won and went on to win the gold medal. This victory was one of the greatest sporting moments in the twentieth century and was dubbed "Miracle on Ice".

4. New York State is best know for the urban landscape of New York City. However most of New York State is dominated by farmland, forests, rivers, mountains and lakes. Even in built-up New York City there are more than 12,000 acres of undeveloped natural land and 26,000 acres of parkland. Who would have thought that rivers, estuaries, beaches, saltwater marshes, forests, grasslands, sands dunes, ponds, and lakes could be found in New York City? Apart from the aesthetic appeal, these natural habitats have performed, and continue to perform, vital ecological services for the city including providing clean air and water, absorbing pollutants, lowering temperatures on summer days, and improving public health and welfare.

5. The Erie Canal was built in the nineteenth century and was an important step in creating the international trading center, New York City, that we know today. It was a marvel of its day and was often called the Eighth Wonder of the World. The Erie Canal was enlarged a number of times to keep up with increased trading. The 'final' achievement was a canal 12 to 14 feet deep, 120 to 200 feet wide, and 363 miles long. Today the Erie Canal is largely used for recreational purposes.

6. Who coined the name 'New York'? The land was first explored by an Italian, Giovanni da Verrazzano, who named it New Angouleme in honor of the French king Francois I. Then, the Dutch claimed the land and called it New Netherlands. Finally, the Duke of York from England bought Long Island and took possession of the rest of the land by the brute force of an army. The Duke of York called the land New York (what a surprise).

7. New York was the first state to employ license plates for automobiles. They first appeared in 1901, however the government did not issues the plates as they do today. In fact they required the owners to make their own plates. From 1901 to 1902 the plates had no numbers - all they had were the initials of the owner. It was only until 1910 when the state of New York began issuing license plates.

8. The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree has been put up every year since 1931. The tradition began when construction workers of the Rockefeller Center decorated a small balsam fir tree with cranberries, paper, and tin cans. Nowadays, the Rockefeller Tree is usually a Norway Spruce which have a life span of 80 to 110 years and grows 1 foot a year. The dimensions of the tree must be a minimum of 65 feet tall and 35 feet wide to qualify for the Rockefeller Center. After the season is over, the tree is often mulched and donated to charities. One tree can yield almost 3 tonnes of mulch.

9. The Empire State Building was the world's tallest building from 1931 to 1972. It was surpassed by The World Trade Center which became the tallest building in New York. After the bombings, the Empire State Building was announced and now remains the tallest building in New York. Just as an aside, the tallest building in the world is the Sears building in Chicago. However this record is expected to be surpassed by the Burj Dubai which will be, once completed, about 1.5 times the height of Sears!

There you have it! The top nine facts about New York I discovered on my trip to New York. Everyone knows New York is a global leader in business, finance, fashion and the arts. However this is just the 'mask' of New York. By reading this article, you have taken your first step to appreciating this great city.

"I love NY". Share the love and find out more about New York at my blog:

http://factsaboutnewyork-kit.blogspot.com