JACKSON- The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has partnered with the Bridger Teton National Forest and Teton County Integrated Solid Waste and Recycling to keep bears out of the carcass disposal area at the trash transfer station south of Jackson. Personnel from the three agencies gathered recently to construct a seven-strand electric fence intended to keep hungry bears from attempting to dig up the carcasses.
“To this point, disposed of carcasses have always been buried by the landfill staff, which works for the most part,” said Wyoming Game and Fish Department Large Carnivore Biologist Mike Boyce. “But every year we seem to have one or more determined black bears that would dig down to the carcasses and get a food reward. This should prevent that from happening in the future.” Teton County Solid Waste and Recycling Superintendent Heather Overholser stated that the County appreciates the initiative of Game and Fish and the Bridger Teton National Forest on this issue, as well as the cooperative effort of the three agencies to protect the public and bears at the transfer station.
Game and Fish officials are monitoring the fenced enclosure with motion-activated cameras and have not had any problems at the landfill since the fence was installed, despite it being a year of high bear activity in developed areas in and around the Jackson Hole valley. Officials are urging residents to make sure all potential bear attractants are secured and unavailable.
Residents are reminded to not put their garbage out the night before pickup and to store garbage and bird feeders properly as per Teton County regulations. While the Teton County Land Development Regulation applies specifically to identified bear conflict priority areas within the county, officials are encouraging all residents to follow the regulations, especially this year. In the bear conflict priority areas, garbage is required to be stored in certified bear resistant containers or in a secure building or enclosure at all times. All bird feeders are to be hung with a catch pan, at least 10 feet from the ground, deck railing or patio and 4 feet away from any tree, post or support structure. More information regarding these regulations may be found at: http://www.tetonwyo.org/pdplan.
Allowing bears to get a food reward conditions them to associate food with people, which may lead to dangerous or destructive behaviors. “By immediately reporting incidents, we can address the cause of the conflict and hopefully prevent it from happening again,” says Boyce. “Public safety is always our highest priority, and if informed right away, we have more options in dealing with a problem bear.” Boyce also expressed appreciation for those residents who are doing a good job of securing garbage and other bear attractants and calling early with bear sightings to prevent potential conflicts from escalating.
Photographed: Employees of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and Bridger Teton National Forest construct an electric fence around a carcass disposal area at the Jackson trash transfer station recently. Photo by Mark Gocke, WGFD
Photographed: Bridger Teton National Forest employee Amy Williams (left) and Wyoming Game and Fish Large Carnivore Biologists Mike Boyce (front) and Sam Stephens put the finishing touches on an electric fence enclosure around a carcass disposal area at the Jackson trash transfer station recently. Photo by Mark Gocke, WGFD