Candlelight Vigil

Photo: Up Close Picture of a Black Bear staring into the camera

Black Bear Task Force Frequently Asked Questions Legislative History Links and Resources Multimedia Natural History Recent News July 24 Rally for the Bears Would you like to receive the latest campaign news or learn about an event near you? your email address: » Tell Governor Ehrlich and Secretary Franks to Oppose Bear Hunting		About Maryland Bears Candlelight Vigil at Governor’s Mansion Urging Eleventh Hour Reprieve for Maryland Bears ANNAPOLIS, MD (October 22, 2004) -- With Maryland’s first trophy hunt of black bears in more than 50 years scheduled to begin on Monday, citizens and animal protection groups, including representatives from The Fund for Animals and The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), will hold a candlelight vigil at Governor Ehrlich’s mansion on Sunday night to call for an eleventh hour reprieve for the bears. DATE: Sunday, October 24, 2004 TIME: 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. LOCATION: Lawyers Mall, Annapolis The Fund for Animals and The HSUS had offered $75,000 to augment the state’s educational programs teaching people to solve bear conflicts, and to compensate farmers fully for agricultural damage caused by bears. Governor Ehrlich and the DNR refused the offer, deciding that a trophy hunt was more important than concrete solutions to bear conflicts. Additionally, the Maryland General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive, and Legislative Review voted 12 to 7 to reject the DNR’s proposed regulations on the hunt, citing a need for more scientific review, yet Governor Robert Ehrlich and the DNR thumbed their noses at the legislature and pushed forward anyway. And last week, a state court ruled that the DNR violated Maryland laws in its approval of the bear hunt, but the court did not stop the hunt from going forward. "Monday will be a sad day for Maryland’s bears, who will be killed for the first time in half a century for nothing more than their heads and hides," said Michael Markarian, president of The Fund for Animals. "Governor Ehrlich still has time to grant a reprieve for the bears, or perhaps Maryland voters will grant him a reprieve from public office in 2006." For more information on Maryland’s black bears, please visit www.MarylandBears.com.