MassWildlife: Black bears are active and searching for food

MassWildlife officials are reminding the public that March and April is when hungry bears emerge from their winter dens and seek out food.?If you live in northern Middlesex County, Worcester County, western Massachusetts, or other areas where bears have been spotted, take these steps to prevent conflicts with black bears:

1. Take down your bird feeders. Bears will often ignore seasonally available natural foods, like skunk cabbage, acorns, and nuts, in favor of an easy meal at a backyard bird feeder.?Other species, including wild turkeys and coyotes, may also frequent bird feeders which can lead to more human-wildlife conflict.?If you?enjoy watching birds in your yard, MassWildlife suggests adding a water feature or?growing native plants, shrubs, and trees to attract birds.?
2. Protect backyard chickens, hives, and other small livestock. Coops and chicken wire provide inadequate protection from black bears. Individuals should secure?bee hives, chickens, and?livestock with properly installed and maintained?electric fencing.
3. Secure other human-associated food sources on your property. Store garbage in closed containers in a garage or outbuilding and put it by the roadside the morning of pick up. Compost responsibly by not putting meat scraps, greasy, oily or sweet materials in your compost pile. Clean grills after each use and do not leave food scraps, grease containers, or spilled grease in your yard.   
4. Supervise your pets outdoors. The presence of a dog could trigger a bear to be aggressive. Check your yard for bears before letting your dog outside. Keep dogs leashed when they’re outside and never let dogs chase or interact with bears. 

There are at least 4,500 black bears in Massachusetts and their range is expanding eastward. Take action by educating yourself and your neighbors about proactive measures to avoid conflicts with bears.?For more information about black bears in Massachusetts,?visit?mass.gov/bears. 

Congressman Neal Talks With Reid Middle School Students

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
02:44PM / Friday, April 10, 2026

Congressman Neal answered questions from students as part of their civics projects. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — U.S. Rep. Richard Neal answered questions from an eighth-grade class at Reid Middle School on Thursday. 

Students in Susan Mooney's class prepared questions related to their civics projects, ranging from government transparency and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to sports to mental health.  

"Be discerning, be fact-driven, and you know what? As I say to my own children, resist emotional decision making," Neal told the class. 

"You generally will come up with the wrong decision if it's very emotional, and the other part I can give you, an important part of my career: you're always going to give a better answer tomorrow." 

In Massachusetts, eighth-grade students are required to complete a civics project focusing on community issues, research, and action.

Students focusing their project on ICE said they found that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is tasked with protecting citizens. They asked Neal why ICE is controlling DHS when agents "do the opposite." 

"ICE needs to be reformed and restrained, but a lot of it has much to do with the president's position on it," he said, adding that the fundamental job of the federal government is to protect its people. 

"We just need to know who's in the country for a variety of reasons. When the president says he's rooting out the criminals, nobody disagrees with that, but that's not what's happening, is it? It's now people that are just showing up in the courthouse to do what we call 'regularizing their status' that are being apprehended."