FWP, business collaborate on fencing due to increase in bear activity
A black bear approaches a dumpster outside of the Lakehouse at Georgetown Lake, but little did he know that Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks had recently assisted the business in repairing their fence as a deterrent to bears. Photo courtesy of FWP.
Anaconda has seen a marked increase in bear activity in the last several weeks, and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has been reaching out to the community on securing garbage and other attractants as much for the bears' own safety as for the public's.
When bears get into garbage they may end up eating plastic, and "unfortunately ingesting all of that plastic can cause blockages which can be fatal," said Brad Balis, FWP bear management technician, who has been working with Anaconda-Deer Lodge County on bear-resistant garbage cans and with residents on other strategies to keep those hungry bears out of the trash.
"Bears are in a tough position this fall," Balis said. "I think some of those late spring/early summer snowfalls killed lots of the berries that would typically be available this time of year. We're seeing particularly acute bear activity from Anaconda to Georgetown Lake. Now those bears are coming into town initially following natural foods along the creek bottom, like choke cherries and apples. But with natural foods in low supply, they find garbage and get hung up in town."
To further help deter bears from dumpster diving, FWP recently partnered with the Lakehouse at Georgetown Lake to repair its electric fence.
"Electric fencing is an extremely effective tool that can be used for a wide range of applications to deter both black bears and grizzly bears," Balis said. "The owners care deeply about the community and wanted to make sure their attractants were secure and they were doing their part to discourage bears from seeking garbage as a food source."
Balis shared a video clip from a trail camera showing a bear encountering the repaired fence and was sent running, though the only thing that was hurt was its pride. Here is a link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuwFDMM4f-4
FWP has a beginner's guide for setting up electric fencing to deter bears. It is available online at https://fwp.mt.gov/binaries/content/assets/fwp/conservation/wildlife-rep....
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