We, the concerned citizens of Citrus, Hernando, and Pasco Counties, write in strong opposition to the proposed 2025 Florida black bear hunt. Our objection arises from our determination to preserve Florida’s rich natural heritage, specifically the imperiled and incredibly unique black bear subpopulation that inhabits our region.

The black bears of the Chassahowitzka subpopulation are a genetically distinct subpopulation occupying the forests surrounding the Crystal River, Homosassa River, Chassahowitzka River, and Weeki Wachee River.

In 2010, the FWC estimated there were only 7 bears (6 male, 1 female) residing in this subpopulation. In 2020, there were approximately 3 bears (2 male, 1 female). The Chassahowitzka subpopulation is on the very brink of local extinction.

We have heard FWC’s repeated message that Florida bears are recovered, and maybe even overabundant. But we don’t see that as a reality here on the Nature Coast. In just a few generations, our bears have disappeared.

Instead of responsibly conserving our wildlife, the FWC has failed the taxpayers of our counties. By implementing a bear hunt at this juncture, the FWC is not only ignoring our ailing subpopulation, as it has for decades, it is also actively and irreparably harming it.

The Chassahowitzka subpopulation depends totally on natural dispersal from neighboring bear groups for its genetic diversity, population growth, and long-term persistence. FWC's scientists write that without immigration from dispersal, the subpopulation will not grow:

“Low female abundance in Chassahowitzka indicates little potential for subpopulation growth without immigration.” Doran-Myers and Scheick 2022

A regional bear hunt, though not targeting the Chassahowitzka subpopulation directly, would harm it indirectly. By reducing bear numbers in adjacent regions, the hunt would also reduce competition, dispersal pressure, and bear movement and migration throughout the state —the very processes that sustain small, local subpopulations like ours. In fact, bears only exist in our region today because of intermixing between Chassahowitzka bears and recent migrants from Ocala:

“All 3 bears genotyped in Chassahowitzka were of mixed Chassahowitzka and Ocala ancestry. This represents the first detection of this genetic mix of ancestry…. Connecting these subpopulations is beneficial for bear conservation and connecting all subpopulations in Florida is a key objective of the 2019 Management Plan.” Doran-Myers and Scheick 2022

It has been scientifically shown that hunting can reduce dispersal and connectivity in black bears because it reduces the number of older, dominant males that normally push young bears out. If the hunt is implemented as planned, young bears that might have traveled into our Counties will instead stay in their native subpopulation. The dispersal that our subpopulation needs to come back from the brink of extinction will no longer be a possibility.

If the hunt happens this year, the FWC is officially dooming the Chassahowitzka subpopulation. The result is the elimination of a unique subpopulation of Florida bears, a loss of ecological services like scavenging (clean-up crew) and native seed distribution, and the disappearance of a regional icon. Furthermore, the FWC is ensuring that residents of our Counties will never have the opportunity to view a bear or participate in a bear hunt.

We are proud Floridians who value our wildlife and our communities. We have learned that healthy ecosystems and thriving wildlife contribute immeasurably to our quality of life, our ecotourism economy, and our shared sense of place. The idea of a hunt that would push a critically imperiled, unique bear subpopulation to local extinction runs counter to the principles of responsible, science-based wildlife management, the objectives of FWC's Bear Management Plan, and even the hunt regulation language (68A-12.012) that specifies a sustainable hunt for Florida's entire bear population.

We respectfully ask that our government of Florida:

Reject proposals for a bear hunt until robust, peer-reviewed data confirm that all subpopulations, including Chassahowitzka, have recovered to at least self-sustaining levels, and

Re-commit to purchasing and protecting connectivity corridors that allow safe bear movement between subpopulations, ensuring the long-term survival of Florida’s black bears, including those of the Chassahowitzka subpopulation.

Areas that are isolated based on functional connectivity and bear dispersal abilities should be identified and conserved to maintain and/or create corridors. It is imperative that the remaining subpopulations are connected to allow sustainable bear population growth and improved genetic exchange as outlined in the 2019 Florida Black Bear Management Plan. Poor, Scheick, and Mullinax 2020

As stewards of our wildlife, we ask the FWC to act with foresight and integrity. Florida’s bears—especially the few remaining in Citrus, Hernando, and Pasco Counties—depend on the choices made today.