"This particular person (in the paper) was concerned that it is changing the whole nature of black bears in the northeast. As it is increasingly common to see 500+ pound black bears (where I guess 250 lbs used to be the norm), he was suggesting that it might not bee too long before their timid nature began to change to be more aggressive."
A great book dealing with this issue is "The Beast in the Garden". REally worth a read, but is will have you looking over your shoulder.