Campaigning in her South Anchorage neighborhood last fall, Charisse Millett heard about the problems people were having with area black bears -- and ran into her own problem.

Leaving a house at the corner of Chisana Way and Slana Trail, the first-time candidate for the state House spied two large black bears circling her truck, unperturbed by human observers.

"I yelled, I screamed, and they weren't moving," Millett recounted.

MEETING: Rep. Charisse Millett and Sen. Kevin Meyer will present draft legislation that would allow Alaska Department of Fish and Game to more proactively manage bears in urban areas at a public meeting, 7 p.m. Thurs., Sept. 24, at Abbott Loop Community Church, 2626 Abbott Rd., Anchorage.

A call to the non-emergency police line netted little result save for a suggestion that she simply wait for the bears to amble off in boredom. Without an immediate threat or signs of aggression, the state's policy of managing for wildlife abundance trumps the plight of residents with neighborhood bears.

Another call -- this time to Millett's husband -- solved the immediate problem, but reinforced the fine line the 15,000 Hillside district residents straddle -- urban bears desensitized to houses, cars and noisy kids are a serious problem waiting to happen, she said.

"How many calls do you have to get on a bear before it's a nuisance?" she said. "Does it have to attack someone before you do something about it?"

Millett and the district's senator, Kevin Meyer, have drafted legislation that would allow the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to waive its abundance management mandate in urban areas with more than 100,000 people, and instead manage for public safety. Bears desensitized to people could be captured and relocated, or even shot, before they become a serious threat. The bill could be expanded to incorporate other urban areas, such as Fairbanks, Juneau or Kodiak, if representatives from those areas want.

Fish and Game's Southcentral bear managers were not available for comment, but are expected at a meeting Thursday evening at which Millett and Meyer will present their draft legislation. Neighbors are invited to weigh in as well.

Bears aren't anything special in Anchorage, a massive, 2,000-square-mile municipality breaking bear habitat between the shores of Cook Inlet and the steep Chugach Mountains for miles. People occupy only about 10 percent of the area. The rest is nearly wild -- a state park, two military posts, a state wildlife refuge and part of a national forest.

Millett and many of her neighbors in House District 30 fell in love with their Hillside homes because of the thick surrounding parklands and the routine sightings of moose and bear. But now, the balance has shifted.

By all accounts, 2008 was an anomaly. Anchorage residents have interfaced with bears for decades with relatively little trouble. But last year, a sow and three cubs staked their claim in the Hillside area. Two black bears roamed freely from one block to the next, unfazed by noisy attempts to scare them off. Fish and Game shot and killed a black bruin stalking the streets on Halloween night, concerned for trick-or-treaters' safety. Two people were mauled within six weeks of one another in Bicentennial Park. Residents' bear anxiety began to increase.