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Woodstock residents report repeated daytime bear sightings and rising anxiety
Summary
Multiple residents described recent daytime bear visits in central Woodstock neighborhoods, citing recurring incidents, video footage and concerns about safety and children's routes; several urged a town-level response.
Residents at the session described frequent, sometimes daily, daytime bear sightings in and around Woodstock village and asked trustees for coordinated action. Steve Shama said he and his wife saw multiple incursions in recent weeks and described restrictions on locking rental trash cans as complicating local fixes. Bruce McClelland and others asked whether the same bears are returning or whether multiple animals are present.
"My wife and I have had four sightings in the last month," resident Steve Shama said, describing bears on his back deck and repeated visits that make him feel unsafe walking near his home. Lisa Purvis, who said she submitted an incident report, told officials there were "11 incidents on College Hill in the last maybe 3 or 4 weeks" and that one bear crossed her yard at noon on July 4. Residents asked trustees to pursue townwide measures and better public information.
