Bear encounters reach new high as population booms

Black bear sightings and encounters have increased throughout Connecticut in 2024. The Northwest Corner in particular has seen a steep rise in bear population.
Jennifer Almquist
Black bear sightings and encounters have increased throughout Connecticut in 2024. The Northwest Corner in particular has seen a steep rise in bear population.
Overturned trash cans, ransacked birdfeeders and injured dogs have become an all-too-common occurrence in the Northwest Corner as the local bear population continues to grow rapidly.
Black bears in Connecticut have made a comeback. Prior to the late ’80s they had completely disappeared in the state. In the ’90s and into the 2000s, sightings became more common as the population re-established itself. Now, DEEP Wildlife Director Jenny Dickson says the black bear population is reaching record highs.
While Connecticut’s bear population is still significantly smaller than Massachusetss or New York, bears in the state are about three times more likely to have negative encounters with people or be struck by cars on roads, according to DEEP’s 2024 annual report.
Black bears are thriving in Connecticut broadly, and in the Northwest Corner specifically, for several reasons. First, Dickson says, is Connecticut’s habitat.
“There’s plenty of habitat available for them, there’s plenty of good habitat for them to continue to expand into,” Dickson says. “And our bears have also benefited from human sourced food. They’re doing very well supplementing their diet with things found in and around our homes.”
Good habitat and accessible diet have allowed the bear population to explode in recent years. This boom has made bear encounters more frequent. According to DEEP’s annual “State of the Bears” report, sightings of bear sows with cubs have nearly quadrupled since 2015, and the number of municipalities where sightings were reported almost doubled.
Cornwall resident and business owner Will Schenke has had a lot of trouble. His business, a restaurant called the Cornwall Market, has a dumpster outside that bears have ransacked three times now. “I probably see a bear twice a week,” Schenke said.
Schenke has tried “bear proof” dumpsters that are basically just regular dumpsters with harder plastic lids and chains securing them, but Dickson says “chains won’t cut it” for bear-proofing. Neither will chemicals like Pine-Sol or the spicy things people put in birdseed to deter squirrels. “It doesn’t bother the bears,” Dickson said. “They’re not that picky when it comes to eating things.”
There are a number of steps that Connecticut residents can take to mitigate the bear problem.
“One of the simplest things to do is make sure you don’t put your trash out until it’s collection day,” Dickson said. “Another part of that, in areas where people have regular bear activity, it’s important not to feed the birds during summertime. This time of year they have a lot of natural food, and it’s actually better for the birds to rely on that natural food.” One way Connecticut residents can eliminate their birdfeeders and still enjoy birds in their yard is to rely on natural landscaping that attracts them without attracting bears.
Dickson also points business owners to a variety of bear-proof dumpsters available in the Northwest Corner. Bearicuda, based out of Litchfield, sells bear resistant and bear proof cans for residences and commercial-sized dumpsters. It also has a series of informative videos online. USA Waste & Recycling offers bear resistant roll-carts for its residential customers.
Bear-proof trash cans, removing birdfeeders and making any tasty food inaccessible to bears will make them less likely to infiltrate neighborhoods and backyards in the future, Dickson said. “Every time they can get that food reward for doing something they shouldn’t do, we’ve just positively reinforced that bad behavior,” Dickson said. “So with the bear proof cans, they’re not getting that reward. Even if they tip it over, even if they knock it around, they don’t get that reward. They pretty suddenly sort of go ‘I’m not getting anything out of this, so what’s the point?’”
DEEP started its “Be Bear Aware” campaign in Fall 2023 in an attempt to increase awareness about bear management strategies. The department publishes educational content on ct.gov/bears for Connecticut residents to learn what they can do to reduce human-bear interactions. That website contains FAQs, a map of bear sightings, the 2024 annual report and lots of educational materials about living with bears and what does and does not work.
“We’re trying to encourage people to think beyond what their personal experience with a bear is,” Dickson said. “Maybe it doesn’t matter to you if the bear tips over your garbage can and you have to pick up the trash, or if the bear raids your bird feeder and you’ve got to replace it, or you’ve got to fill it up with seed again. It’s not just about how that impacts us individually. We have to think about how that impacts our neighbors, our community, and the bears themselves.”
LAKEVILLE — Barbara Meyers DelPrete, 84, passed away Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, at her home. She was the beloved wife of George R. DelPrete for 62 years.
Mrs. DelPrete was born in Burlington, Iowa, on May 31, 1941, daughter of the late George and Judy Meyers. She lived in California for a time and had been a Lakeville resident for the past 55 years.
Survivors, in addition to her husband, George, include son, George R. DelPrete II, daughter, Jena DelPrete Allee, and son Stephen P. DelPrete. Grandchildren; Trey, Cassidy, and Meredith DelPrete, Jack, Will and Finn Allee, and Ali and Nicholas DelPrete.
A Funeral Mass was held at St. Mary’s Church, Lakeville, on Saturday, Oct. 4. May she Rest in Peace.
Ryan Funeral Home, 255 Main St., Lakeville, is in care of arrangements.
To offer an online condolence, please visit ryanfhct.com
SHARON — Shirley Anne Wilbur Perotti, daughter of George and Mabel (Johnson) Wilbur, the first girl born into the Wilbur family in 65 years, passed away on Oct. 5, 2025, at Noble Horizons.
Shirley was born on Aug. 19, 1948 at Sharon Hospital.
She was raised on her parents’ poultry farm (Odge’s Eggs, Inc.).
After graduating from Housatonic Valley Regional High School, she worked at Litchfield County National Bank and Colonial Bank.
She married the love of her life, John, on Aug. 16, 1969, and they lived on Sharon Mountain for more than 50 years.
Shirley enjoyed creating the annual family Christmas card, which was a coveted keepsake.She also enjoyed having lunch once a month with her best friends, Betty Kowalski, Kathy Ducillo, and Paula Weir.
In addition to John, she is survived by her three children and their families; Sarah Medeiros, her husband, Geoff, and their sons, Nick and Andrew, of Longmeadow, Massachusetts, Shelby Diorio, her husband, Mike, and their daughters, Addie, Lainey and Lyla, of East Canaan, Connecticut,Jeffrey Perotti, his wife, Melissa, and their daughters, Annie, Lucy and Winnie, of East Canaan. Shirley also leaves her two brothers, Edward Wilbur and his wife Joan, and David Wilbur; two nieces, three nephews, and several cousins.
At Shirley’s request, services will be private.
Donations in her memory may be made to the Sharon Woman’s Club Scholarship Fund, PO Box 283, Sharon, CT 06069.
The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.
MILLERTON — Veronica Lee “Ronnie” Silvernale, 78, a lifelong area resident died Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, at Sharon Hospital in Sharon, Connecticut. Mrs. Silvernale had a long career at Noble Horizons in Salisbury, where she served as a respected team leader in housekeeping and laundry services for over eighteen years. She retired in 2012.
Born Oct. 19, 1946, at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, she was the daughter of the late Bradley C. and Sophie (Debrew) Hosier, Sr. Following her graduation from high school and attending college, she married Jack Gerard Silvernale on June 15, 1983 in Millerton, New York. Their marriage lasted thirty-five years until Jack’s passing on July 28, 2018.
Ronnie is survived by her daughter, Jaime Silvernale (Wm. MacDaniel, Sr.) of Millerton, her beloved grandson, Wm. MacDaniel, Jr.; two special nieces, Shannon and Rebecca and a special nephew Sean Hosier. In addition to her parents and husband, she was predeceased by her brother, Bradley C. Hosier, Jr. and her dear friend Ruth Fullerton of Millerton.
Visitation was private. A celebration of Ronnie’s life will be held in the future. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Scott D. Conklin Funeral Home, 37 Park Avenue, Millerton, NY 12546. To send an online condolence to the family or to plant a tree in Ronnie’s memory, please visit www.conklinfuneralhome.com
Christine Gevert, Crescendo’s artistic director, is delighted to announce the start of this musical organization’s 22nd year of operation. The group’s first concert of the season will feature Latin American early chamber music, performed Oct. 18 and 19, on indigenous Andean instruments as well as the virginal, flute, viola and percussion. Gevert will perform at the keyboard, joined by Chilean musicians Gonzalo Cortes and Carlos Boltes on wind and stringed instruments.
This concert, the first in a series of nine, will be held on Oct. 18 at Saint James Place in Great Barrington, and Oct. 19 at Trinity Church in Lakeville.
For those unfamiliar with Crescendo, the award-winning organization was founded in 2003 and brings lesser-known works from the Renaissance and Baroque periods — along with contemporary fusion pieces — to new life. Its performances often blend classical composition with nontraditional instrumentation for a refreshing new take on an established body of work.
Gevert, who is German, Chilean and American, is a conductor, keyboardist and musical scholar. As the multi-national, multi-lingual (German, Spanish and English) creative director, she is a veritable whirlwind of talent, professionalism and inspiration who conceives of new musical treats for her audiences. She also hires and nourishes local talent, sources internationally known vocal and instrumental professionals, and provides her audiences with well-researched program notes for each concert, packaged in lush, full-color programs that resemble illuminated manuscripts.
“It is the excitement about and dedication to the music, along with the prerequisite vocal and instrumental talent, that characterizes a Crescendo member,” said Gevert. “I don’t care about things like how old or young you are or where you’re from — it’s all about bringing these performers together to provide unforgettable musical experiences for its audiences.”
“Traditional audiences for classical music performances tend to skew older,” Gevert continued. “For that reason, I’ve embarked on an effort to reach younger listeners, and have done things like taken a Crescendo choral group to perform at Housatonic Regional High School. I’ve also launched an effort to recruit and train young singers in Baroque singing techniques so they can perform with our existing choral group.”
The upcoming 2025-26 season includes, among other performances, a solo recital and benefit concert on Nov. 22 by the international Baroque opera star and countertenor Nicholas Tamagna. The curated program will include works by Handel, Vivaldi, and Monteverdi.
Two dazzling Christmas concerts follow: on Dec. 6 and 7, Crescendo presents J.S. Bach’s “Sweet Comfort” cantata and Mass in G minor, featuring the full chorus and soloists with a period instrument orchestra. On Dec. 21, the annual Holiday Concert will be presented: “A Tapestry of Traditions: Unraveling the History of Christmas Carols,” with the entire Crescendo vocal ensemble and Gevert on organ.
For the full schedule, concerts details and ticket information, visit: www.crescendomusic.org