By Kris Inman EBS CONTRIBUTOR
By December, bears, for the most part, have entered their
winter dens. It is a natural process for bears who are not physiologically
adapted, like the lynx or the wolverine who have snowshoe-size feet that allow
them to float across the snow. It is also a lean time for natural food.
Male bears or young female bears who will not need the security a den provides for newborn cubs are the last to den. But nature can also influence when bears den. On low snow years with an abundance of natural foods, bears may delay den entry.
People can shift this natural process for bears too. In
communities like Big Sky, where a community abuts wild areas, bears with access
to food were once “backcountry” bears eating natural foods but slowly become
“frontcountry” bears.
These frontcountry bears, who have access to trash
throughout the season, can shift not only their foraging behavior but the
denning behavior too.
Too many states are seeing conflict calls in the winter
months. In 2009, a great snow year for Nevada, the Nevada Department of
Wildlife didn’t see conflict calls decline to zero, instead, during the winter,
they had 41 percent fewer calls than in the summer and fall. Trash was the
cause.
A colleague at the Wildlife Conservation Society, Jon
Beckmann, along with other bear biologists studied this trend in behavior. They
found that in 5 of 38 urban areas, where trash was available, bears never
entered dens.
“In four more urban communities, bears denned under decks
and appeared to key in on trash pick-up days, emerging from their dens to take
advantage of this food source,” Beckmann said.
To ensure we don’t inadvertently make this shift in denning
behavior for Big Sky’s bears, Beckmann suggests one key thing: “Use
bear-resistant trash cans throughout the year, even when bears are in their
dens.”
If shifting denning behavior is not reason enough to keep
trash from bears, do it to make it a practiced behavior so you won’t be caught
unaware when bears emerge from their dens in the spring.
For those that rent your home as a vacation rental, be sure
the vacationers you are hosting are aware they need to keep trash secured. This
fall, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks received calls from vacation renters.
“Unaware that bears are around, they stored their garbage in bags on the deck
and had an unwelcomed visitor,” FWP bear biologist Kevin Frey said.
As snow flies, this certainly is the time of merriment—your
family, business and vacation renters will produce a lot of trash that needs to
be stored away from bears. Keep extra trash in the garage with the door always
closed.
Keep your property, bears and yourself safe by breaking the
cycle of rewarding bears with trash. Ask L&L Site Services or Republic
Services for a bear-resistant trash can. Use it all year long and make bear
smart practices a natural part of this community’s culture so we keep Big Sky
wild.
Remember to follow Bernadette Bear on social media@bearsmartbigsky to learn how to make Big Sky’s story a positive one for bears, people and wild places.
Kris Inman manages the
Partnerships and Engagement Program for the Wildlife Conservation Society and
oversees the Bear Smart Big Sky campaign.
