NORTH MUSKEGON, MI – The black bear cornered in a brush-covered area near the Muskegon bike path apparently took a long swim from the North Muskegon neighborhood from which it came, according to a Michigan Department of Natural Resources official.

The bear, first spotted around 7:30 a.m. Monday, May 13, swimming in Muskegon Lake near Great Lakes Marina in Lakeside has since made his way to the bike path behind a business across Lakeshore Drive from Ruddiman Creek.

As of 11:15 a.m., the bear was essentially cornered by a number of DNR officers and Muskegon Police Department officials who were hoping to “calm it down,” said Conservation Officer Greg Patten.

“We are trying to let it calm down and encourage it to go away on its own,” Patten said.

Ideally, the bear will get back into the lake and swim toward North Muskegon where Patten believes he had made its den prior to its appearance in Lakeside.

Patten said the bear has been watched for a while by a North Muskegon resident who this morning reported seeing it swim across Muskegon Lake.

“A North Muskegon man said he was watching it and it just got in the water this morning and swam across the lake,” Patten said.

The bear emerged while taking a swim in the lake and then made his way through the bike path area where Ruddiman Creek empties into Muskegon Lake.

Patten couldn’t pinpoint exactly where the bear was hiding, but the officers had a large area cornered off in an effort to keep him from roaming any further.

“There were a lot of people when he got here. We’re trying to contain it now,” he said. “If you don’t chase it, the bears don’t like running around in the daytime. If people leave it alone, at nighttime it will find its way.”

A number of area residents quickly learned of the black bear’s location and watched near the area where the officials were waiting for it to emerge.

Debbie Vriesman, a Lakeside resident, said it’s the first time in the 15 years she’s lived in the area that she’s heard of a bear in her neighborhood.

“This is a first,” she said. “I’ve been here over 15 years and never heard of a bear before.”

Vriesman had some concern that the bear remained in the area Monday morning.

“You just want to be sure with kids and animals around in a residential area,” she said.

Patten said officers hope to not have to use force to subdue or remove the bear.

“Once people stop chasing it, this will resolve itself,” he said. “People want to see it, but it gets scared and pushed and goes where you don’t want it to go. The only way it will be threatened is if someone starts pushing it around.”

Meanwhile, Patten said it isn’t unusual for urban areas to see black bears, but sightings are more common in the rural areas of Muskegon County. Cedar Creek Township has had a number of black bear sightings, he said.

“We have bears everywhere in the state. We’re getting more bears in urban areas because the population is growing,” he said.

And the urban areas are expanding.

“We have had bears in Muskegon County, and we have denning bears in the northern parts of the county,” Patten said.

MLive and The Muskegon Chronicle will continue to follow this story.

Email: hpeters@mlive.com