To the editor:

I read your article on bears. The real reason we see more of them is the destruction of habitat.

Bears don’t live in only the Dismal Swamp; they live all over northern Suffolk, and all of the woodlands are being destroyed by developers. Bears have always been here but are slowly being run out into the highways and into new communities.

It would be nice to see an article on what we can do to preserve the little bit of ecosystems and woodlands we have left, because sooner or later we will be overrun by houses and strip malls.

The woodlands along the Seaboard Trail are a sanctuary for sow bears with cubs, and as soon as a developer can stake a claim on that area, you will see more bear encounters in neighborhoods and on highways.

James Daughtrey

Suffolk