Earlier this year, people spotted a young black bear wandering around Portland’s Old Port.

Maine’s coastal communities expect tourists in the summer, but that visitor wasn’t in search of lobster rolls or souvenirs. Caitlin Drasher, the black bear biologist for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, said it was just a little lost.

“Typically, it’s a young male bear that gets turned around because they’re just zipping across the landscape, trying to find their own place in the world,” she said.

Drasher said Maine is home to between 25,000 and 27,000 black bears — the largest population in the eastern United States. The department receives between 400 and 700 reports each year of everything from backyard sightings to, say, a bear in a parking garage under a Portland hotel. Drasher said the number usually depends on how abundant berries are in a given year; less food means more encounters with people.

Few calls are true conflicts that require intervention, Drasher said. Black bears rarely become aggressive and attacks are uncommon.

However, Mainers can take simple steps to avoid bears and to prepare for an encounter. The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has information on its website about best practices, and Drasher shared her recommendations.

How can I keep black bears away from my property?

At home, you can remove or secure things that commonly attract black bears, which are most active between April and November, according to the state.

Bring bird feeders inside during those months, and rake up bird seed from the ground.

“Bird feeders are the first thing that they are going to experiment with in somebody’s backyard,” Drasher said. “It’s the gateway drug for bears.”

The state has suggestions for ways to attract birds without also attracting bears. Plant native plants with seeds that birds like to eat, add a bird bath, and create places for them to shelter or perch.

The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife says to store garbage cans in a building, and keep outbuildings and garage doors closed. Dumpster lids and doors should be kept closed and latched. Also, store grills in a secure area, burn off food residue, and dispose of food wrappers and grease cups. If you are having regular conflicts with a bear, stop grilling until it moves on.

Place beehives more than 300 feet from the forest and wood line, harvest honey as soon as possible, and consider installing an electric fence around the hives.

If possible, feed pets and store their food inside. If you feed pets or livestock outside, clean the bowls and remove leftover food daily. Install and maintain effective fencing for livestock.

“You want the buffet to be closed,” Drasher said.

What should I do if I see a bear in my backyard?

Scare it away, Drasher said.

“Having a bear very comfortable in your backyard is not great for the bear,” she said.

Keep a safe distance from it and make loud noises, shout, blast an air horn, honk a car horn, or bang pots and pans together, Drasher said. Make sure the bear is not cornered and has an escape route.

When the bear leaves, investigate what might be drawing it to your yard, remove attractants, such as birdseed and garbage, and ask neighbors to do the same.

How do I avoid bears while hiking or camping?

On the trail, be aware of your surroundings. Keep kids within sight and dogs on a leash. Be noisy, and carry bear spray or a walking stick.

If a black bear approaches you, the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife says to make yourself look bigger by raising your arms, and shout.

Do not approach the bear, Drasher said. Quietly back away and leave the area.

While camping, do not store food in your tent, cook as far as possible from your tent, and clean the cooking area. Store food and trash in a vehicle with the windows closed, in a bear-proof container, or suspended in a tree 100 yards from your sleeping area.

“Black bears are generally very harmless, and they don’t want to interact with people,” Drasher said. “The times they do interact with people, it’s because of our food.”

What do I do if I see a bear in the community?

“Urban bears,” as Drasher calls them, show up once or twice a year in Maine.

In late spring and early summer, young bears leave their mothers and disperse to find their own territories. Male bears travel farther — the home range of a female bear might be 10 square miles, Drasher said, but the males sometimes have a range as big as 100 square miles.

If a bear ends up in a residential or urban area, call a regional wildlife office to report the sighting. Drasher said staff will assess the situation but won’t always send a biologist or warden to respond.

“If the bear is not stuck in an area, they can usually find their way out, especially if you wait for nightfall,” Drasher said. “The best case scenario is that you don’t need to handle the bear.”

If a bear is in a busy area with lots of people or car traffic, a regional wildlife biologist might sedate it and drive it to a suitable habitat, Drasher said. Contact information for those offices is at maine.gov/ifw.

In Old Orchard Beach, officials confirmed the sighting of two bears one morning in June. They monitored the animals and alerted the Maine Warden Service, but the animals quickly returned to the woods without intervention.

In Portland, a few days later, people spotted a bear wandering around the busy Old Port. Police, game wardens and state wildlife biologists established a perimeter. When the bear got into a parking garage, they tranquilized and removed it.

“It was very unlikely that he was going to find his way out by himself,” Drasher said.

Where can I find more information about black bears in Maine?

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has information on its website about living with black bears, and Drasher said BearWise.org is also a helpful resource from the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. If a conflict becomes serious and requires professional assistance, Maine’s regional wildlife offices are the best place to start. Visit maine.gov/ifw to find contact information for the closest one to you.