At approximately 7:00 p.m. on June 27, a bear was sighted walking down the hill across the street from the American Legion building in McDonough. (Photo by Bethany Nichols)

MCDONOUGH — American Legion 1478 members sighted a bear on June 27 in the Town of McDonough following a group meeting.

McDonough Town Councilmen and Sons of the Legion Sergeant of Arms Tim O'Brien said while his wife was voting inside the Legion building he was outside talking with friends and looked up the hill to notice a bear walking toward them.

He said, “Bear.” But everyone continued talking.

He repeated, “There is a bear.”

Then the group stopped talking and they all turned to see the bear slowly meandering across the road. It was headed toward the American Legion 1478 property and then disappeared into the woods.

O'Brien said, “It was on its way to do bear things the way that bear do.”

“I continued talking to immerse my friends in conversation, distracting them from walking up that hill and possibly saving their lives,” he added.

Local Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and American Legion Auxiliary Post 1478 Vice President Bethany Nichols said, “We had just finished our meeting and went outside and there was this little bear. It wasn't a cub but it wasn't full grown either so we waited for momma to come out but she didn't.”

“We do see a lot of bear, they're really popular this year and its not unusual for them to be around. I've heard there were bear sightings at Bowman Lake and someone in the fire department said they saw a bear by the creek in the Town of Pharsalia,” said Nichols.

“I haven't heard of any damage lately,” she added. “The one we sighted across the street from the Legion building didn't have a care in the world.”

According to New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) they received one call this month reporting bear activity in Chenango County. The yearling bear was observed while raiding a bird feeder at a house in the rural area of the town of McDonough.

During May, there were a few residents of Afton that reported bear activity at feeders and unsecured trash. Bears are typically most active during this time of year, so sightings are not unusual.

DEC will continue to monitor reported bear activity and encourages residents to keep all food attractants away from any areas accessible to wildlife. Removing bird feeders and securing trash bins during summer months is recommended as bears are continually searching for food sources.

For more safety tips and information about bears, visit DEC website https://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/6995.html.

Additional information about why there are more bear sightings this summer is available on the Bearwise website http;//bearwise.org/why-early-summer-brings-more-bear-sightings/.

If you experience a human-bear conflict, contact your regional DEC wildlife office for assistance at https://www.dec.ny.gov/about/558.html.