Rep. Reddington-Hughes objects to the removal of a bear lottery in SB 1148

While I’m disappointed the provision to include a very limited bear lottery did not make it into the final version of SB 1148, I am encouraged by the support the measure received from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), the governor, many of my fellow legislators and the public.

I remain concerned that Connecticut’s bear population will continue to climb, and human-bear conflicts will occur more frequently.

As we heard from the experts at DEEP, including Commissioner Dykes who wrote: “This bill provides necessary and proven tools to increase public safety by reducing bear-human conflicts, bear-home entries, and bear attacks.”  The Commissioner also noted, “reported conflicts have more than doubled from less than 1000 in 2015 to well over 2,000 conflicts reported in 2022.”

I am committed to the safety of all Connecticut residents and will work with my colleagues to find solutions to prevent such conflicts in the future. I just hope that what we are trying to implement is going to be enough.