Several hiking parties reported encounters with a bear in the Lincoln Woods area this week, including a group that was charged at by the bear.
Andrew Timmins, Games Programs Supervisor at New Hampshire Fish and Game, said the group that witnessed the bear charging had a dog with them.
“I give them a lot of credit for having the dog leashed and under control. That’s what responsible hikers do,” Timmins said. “But the bluff charge was clearly due to the dog barking, and kind of intensifying the situation.”
Bears aren’t usually interested in interacting with humans, said Timmins. But hikers may encounter them along the edges of the forest canopy, where there may be more food for bears.
“Not a lot of sunlight comes through the forest canopy. As a result, on the understory of the forest there usually is not a lot of vegetation growing, so not a lot to eat,” said Timmins. “But when you get these breaks in the canopy like a hiking trail, those edges are getting increased sunlight, which creates more diversity in plant species.”
If hikers encounter a bear in the wild a safe distance away, the best thing to do is to wait for it to clear the area, said Timmins.
“You can just stand there kind of quietly and let the bear just move off in time, or you can make it aware of your presence with some normal noise,” said Timmins. “You know, it might be a ‘hey bear’ in a kind of low or moderate voice, or it might just be clanking hiking sticks together — just something to make it aware.”
In most cases, bears will run off on their own, Timmins said. But if a bear does approach a hiker on the trail, the key is to remain dominant but not aggressive. To do this, hikers should make eye contact with the bear, speak at a regular volume, and back away slowly.
“If a bear comes up close to you, or exhibits any bluff charges, not a lot changes,” said Timmins. “You still want to be putting distance between you and the animal. But at that point, you might raise your voice a little bit to try to scare the bear off.”
Timmins said carrying an air horn can be helpful for such occasions. He also recommended clanging hiking sticks, as bears tend not to like the sound of metal on metal.
Timmins also advises against throwing food at bears, as this teaches them to approach humans more often.
“What that does is it just teaches the bear that ‘Hey, there’s something to this, you know, when I make my presence known, a percentage of hikers toss granola bars off in the bushes for me,’” Timmins said. “That can start to build that behavior. It’s really kind of begging or panhandling behavior.”
Officials are taking steps to reach the bear in question to prevent further encounters with humans.
Timmins emphasized that bears are generally peaceful.
“There are bears and people sharing space on a daily basis . . . and the number of conflicts that come out of that are very low.” Timmins said. “The bears aren’t terrible animals. They belong in our forest, and we have just got to learn how to share the same areas for different purposes and coexist.”
This story is a production of the New England News Collaborative. It was originally published by New Hampshire Public Radio.
FITCHBURG, MA — The organizers of one of the premiere off-season high school and middle school wrestling tournaments in the region are apologizing to wrestlers, parents, coaches, and referees for prematurely ending their 2024 event.
The annual Bay State Wrestling Tournament abruptly ended on July 13 after a power outage delayed the event, and many volunteer referees left after a long day even though all the matches had not been completed. At the end of the tournament, which has been held for nearly four decades, organizers tried to figure out what to do. Many were upset the event shut down before completion — including dozens of wrestlers competing in finals and consolations bouts with parents and coaches driving hundreds of miles to attend and even spending money on hotel rooms.
Kevin Cummings, the executive director of Bay State Games, said the organization spent several days working on a resolution after the issues at the event. After several days of complaints and social media posts, as well as allegations about finances and mismanagement, the organization issued a statement taking full responsibility for the debacle.
“We recognize we fell short at this year’s event, we acknowledge our mistakes, and for that we deeply apologize,” the statement said.
Organizers said the event had “significant issues” that impacted participants who were “rightfully upset” they could not complete it. The organizers said registration fees would be refunded to all wrestlers who were unable to complete their competitions.
“At the time of event stoppage, an option to reschedule was discussed, but further research and feedback have shown this is not a viable option,” the statement said.
The organizers stated, after seeing all of the comments online and while working on “a reasonable response to this situation,” they also needed to clarify “a few important points.”
First, while there was “a great deal of scrutiny regarding our volunteer wrestling officials,” they “were not responsible for what took place,” they said.
“Many stayed well past their original schedule,” the org stated. “While unpaid, officials are provided several amenities and many return year in and year out because they love the sport of wrestling and wish to give back to the sport.”
The organization said volunteerism had been “a cornerstone of the organization,” with referees supporting the tourney from the beginning.
“We are extremely grateful for those officials who, in some cases, volunteered for over nine hours (at the event),” the statement read.
This point, too, was echoed by Colin Pacelli, the director of the Massachusetts Wrestling Officials Association. He said officials were happy to be at the event and enjoyed supporting the sport. At the same time, he said referees needed to be rested for safety reasons and to ensure fair competition. Hundreds of referees were requested to volunteer, as they have for years and do for other sports.
“It’s a combat sport,” Pacelli said, “you need officials to be at the top of their game.”
Organizers said electrical issues in the afternoon, a result of “tournament mismanagement,” also hampered the event. Four mats were shut down for about 90 minutes until the problem was identified and fixed.
“According to KAP Tournament management representatives,” the statement said, “the pace of the meet was trending similar to 2023 up until outages caused significant delays.”
There was also a flood of last-minute signups — more than 250 registrations were received within the five days before the event, which increased the overall size of the competition by about 15 percent from 2023.
“We were unprepared for the unprecedented magnitude of entries so close to the competition’s start, and we apologize,” the statement said. “We have already discussed measures to ensure this does not happen should we be able to continue this event in the future.”
While specifics were not stated, other tourneys shut down registrations once they reached the optimum amount of competitors.
Bay State Games also challenged statements about its finances, saying it incurred “significant expenses” for venues, insurance, awards, food and drinks for volunteers, and other expenses.
“Revenue generated from all events support all of the Games’ programs which in addition to over 30 sports, includes college scholarships, internships, an ambassador program, and a sports medicine program, many of which benefit all participants, including wrestlers,” the org said. “No individuals profit from this event.”
The org also said the debacle would not mark the end of the wrestling program.
“Our goal has always been to promote and grow all sports, including wrestling,” they said.
Pacelli said it would not be the end of the program. The Bay State Games were very popular and generated a lot of support and revenue for the organization, he said. Moving it to Fitchburg was tough on many people, Pacelli said. More officials, not less, are needed, he said, calling the lack of referees a crisis.
“Without officials for any sport, you don’t have competition,” he said. “(Participants) get hurt.”
Part of the sport is volunteering, but there were also limitations for officials. The wrestling officials association is focused on an expectation of perfection and then improving on that, “which is a wild concept,” with safety being paramount, too, Pacelli said.
“An adjustment needs to be made (going forward though),” he said.
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BRENTWOOD, NH — A Rockingham County grand jury indicted the following people recently.
Adriel Julian Baez, 30, of Bridge Street in Lowell, Massachusetts, on a felony burglary charge. He worked in concert with Ronald Eugene Brillon Jr. to enter a building on Maple Avenue in Plaistow on Nov. 17, 2023, according to the indictment.
Taher A. Bashir, 18, of Laurel Street in Manchester on receiving stolen property and theft by unauthorized taking charges, both felonies. He was accused of working in concert with another to remove more than $1,000 worth of property from Target in Salem and possessed the stolen merchandise on March 9.
Anthony Michael Bizzocchi, 44, of Mason Avenue in Kittery, Maine, on attempted theft by unauthorized taking, receiving stolen property, and three theft by unauthorized taking charges, all felonies. He was accused of retaining control of a stolen VW Tiguan in Newfields, a stolen Audi A4 in Stratham, a GMC 1500 truck in Stratham, a Honda Odyssey in Stratham, and a Mercedez Benz Sprinter van in Stratham, all on April 3. Twice before, Bizzocchi has been convicted on theft charges.
Leonard Donald Boddy III, 43, Coopers Grove Road Kingston on two aggravated felonious sexual assault, two felonious sexual assault, and two indecent exposure and lewdness charges, all felonies, as well as an endangering welfare of a child charge. Between Sept. 1 and Dec. 31, 2023, he fondled a child and exposed his genitals to a child, according to the indictments.
Robert Harold Boulter Jr., 50, of Oldham Road in Hampstead on attempted capital murder and two reckless conduct charges, all felonies. He was accused of aiming a loaded rifle at a Danville police officer on Oldham Road in Hampstead and randomly firing the gun, placing others in danger, on March 18.
Tyler Boyle, 26, with a last known address of Marshview Circle in Seabrook, on two felonious sexual assault and nine aggravated felonious sexual assault charges, all felonies. He was accused of raping two children between May 1, 2022, and March 26, 2023, in Seabrook.
Zenandre Soucier Braccio, 30, of Arlington Street in Manchester on a felony theft by unauthorized taking charge. He was accused of exercising control over a BMW M4S on Dec. 10, 2023, in Derry.
Frank David Hampson, 44, of Ash Street in Nashua on three theft by unauthorized taking and four conspiracy-identity fraud charges, all felonies. He agreed with Derek Lennarston to pose as another on Nov. 23 and Dec. 8, 2023, and defraud them and obtain control over a wallet with credit cards on Nov. 25, 2023, in Londonderry, according to the indictments. On Dec. 8, 2023, in Londonderry, Hampson was accused of taking the wallet from another person’s vehicle. Twice before, he was convicted on a theft charge.
Shakeem Jeremiah Harris, 25, of Crown Street in Brooklyn, New York, on a felony accomplice to receiving stolen property charge and a resisting arrest or detention count. He was aided by Jaret Thurgood Simpson and Kofi Griffith in stealing merchandise from Home Depot in Londonderry on April 17, according to the indictment. Learn more about this case here: Police Take 3 Men At Gunpoint After Fleeing Vehicle On I-93 In Derry and here: Men From New York and New Jersey Accused Of Organized Retail Crime
David W. Harvey, 68, of Rockland Drive in Hampton on two felony tampering with witnesses and informants charges. He was accused of offering money to two women in Derry, one on Oct. 20, 2023, and the other on Oct. 25, 2023, to tell police they witnessed a paving worker assault him when they did not witness such an assault.
Jean Carlos Hidalgo Castillo, 32, of Hampshire Street in Lawrence, MA, on a felony willful concealment charge. He was accused of replacing a $2,300 television bar code with one from a $500 television at BJ’s Wholesale Club in Salem on Jan. 28.
Hakeem Altareek Hinton, 39, of Main Sreet in Haverhill, MA, on a felony possession of cocaine charge on March 20 in Salem.
Nicholas Alan Houseman, 35, of South Road in Londonderry on a felony theft by deception charge. He was accused of transferring a price marking of a lower-price item on a higher-priced item in Derry on May 6, 2023, at Walmart. Twice before, Houseman was convicted on a theft charge.
FOXBORO — A local man was seriously injured while hiking with his son in the White Mountains in New Hampshire over the weekend.
Michael Kelly, 35, was carrying his young son on Greeley Ponds Trail in Livermore on Sunday when he lost his balance and fell on wet, slippery mud while attempting to cross a wooden board section, according to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.
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