2 Bear Sightings Documented By Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — There have been two bear sightings around the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Howard County in the past week, an official confirmed Friday. The laboratory, also known as APL, conducts government research from its campus located between Laurel and Columbia.

The sightings reported around APL were in two separate areas, according to Michael Buckley, of the public affairs office at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.

The most recent sighting was on Tuesday, Sept. 11, Buckley said. It was across the street from the main APL campus, he said.

"A visitor reported to our security staff that they had seen a bear 'near' a construction site on our south campus, across the street from our main campus on Johns Hopkins Road," Buckley said.

Another bear sighting occurred in the woods adjacent to the main campus, he said. In that case, the animal was in a wooded area near an APL building by Montpelier Road on Friday, Sept. 7.

Staff at APL has been advised to call the security team if they see bears, Buckley said.

RELATED: Bears Around Howard County Reported

The sightings near APL prompted a note from Hammond Middle School, letting parents know that their children would be kept safe.

"If a bear is seen on or near our school property, we will notify 911, and initiate the appropriate protocol from our Emergency Operations Plan (lockdown or reverse evacuation), and notify the HCPSS Office of Safety and Security via radio," school officials said in a note to families Thursday, Sept. 13.

Other schools have had to do the same in Howard County.

In June 2016, Waverly and Rockburn elementary schools went into lockdown when bears were seen around those campuses.

Typically, Maryland's black bear population is concentrated in Washington, Allegany, Frederick and Garrett counties, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

Sightings in populated areas are most common in June and July, when young bears wander away from rural areas as they look to establish their territory during the late spring through summer months.

In June 2014, a bear spent several hours around the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, taking a stroll on campus and perching in a tree, before wildlife officials relocated the animal to an area near the Potomac River.

After a period of wandering, young bears usually settle in places with established bear populations in western Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. They generally make dens in wooded areas.

What To Do If You See A Bear

Never feed bears. Feeding bears is illegal in the State of Maryland.

Stay inside. If you encounter a bear while outside, go indoors.

If you must remain outside, leave distance between you and the bear.

"If a bear woofs, snaps its jaws, slaps the ground/brush or bluff charges, you are too close," the Maryland Department of Natural Resources advises. When bears stand on their hind legs, they are not showing aggression, officials note, but are instead trying to see or smell better.

Make loud noises to get a bear to leave your area. Ensure you have given the bear an escape route.

Report bear emergencies to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources at 410-260-8888.

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