Princeton residents got an education about dealing with their native bear population Monday night.

After several bear sightings over the past month, the state Division of Fish and Wildlife held a workshop on dealing with the animals that spokesman Bob Considine said would contain “mostly common sense tips” like not feeding the animals. It was held in the municipal building at 400 Witherspoon Street in Princeton.

The advice sometimes amounts to “don’t feed the bears; don’t poke the bears” but Considine said they will provide other tips as well. He said residents should use bear-proof trash containers — advertised as such — and regularly wash trash and food containers to keep smells from spreading.

Considine said the knowledge is most important in spring and early summer, when the bears have come out of hibernation and started replenishing themselves.

“This is the season where bears are emerging from their dens,” he said. “People see them more now than any other time in the year.”

You can read the full story here.