The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Wildlife resistant containers not wildlife proof
Not too many weeks ago, bear reports in town were few and far between, but recently the bears have been appearing quite frequently. They’re hungry, no doubt, as many wildlife-resistant trash containers in both Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte have met untimely ends.
According to Crested Butte chief marshal Tom Martin, the bears are coming out earlier and more often. “We’re dealing with them nightly,” Martin says. He estimates that there are five different bears consistently rummaging around town, sometimes all at the same time. Martin says last week a marshal and a Division of Wildlife officer were patrolling the streets at night when they discovered two bears in front of the Gas Café having “discussions” over a barrel of grease.
The bears are also being spotted in some of the lighter residential sides of town, rather than clustered around the alley-ways off of Elk Avenue, behind restaurants with plenty of edible trash.
Martin says businesses and restaurants on Elk have done an excellent job keeping their trash secured and deterring bears this year. Other town residents haven’t been so fortunate. Three cars have been significantly damaged by bears trying to break in and eat munchies. A couple of wooden garbage sheds have had siding scratched and clawed off, and at least two of the green, Bear Smart trash bins have been vigorously ripped open by hungry bears.
“The key word is ‘resistant,’” Martin says of the wildlife-resistant containers.
Last Thursday, the Division of Wildlife (DOW) was called in to help relocate a bear that was repeatedly damaging property. DOW Gunnison area wildlife manager J Wenum says a DOW officer has also been assisting the marshals on some evenings, patrolling for bears and attempting to deter them if necessary.
In Mt. Crested Butte, town manger Joe Fitzpatrick reports many of the dumpsters in town were retrofitted with bear-resistant covers made of heavy metal, but they aren’t holding up to the cleverness or weight of some bears.
The town is asking property owners associations to switch their old retrofit containers to modern wildlife-resistant garbage enclosures.
The other problem, Fitzpatrick says, is not properly securing the trashcan lids, ironically giving bears easy access to a “bear-resistant” trashcan. “It’s a challenge helping the public to understand to latch things. We have a problem with that as much as anything else,” he says.
Some bears apparently have no regard for locks, latches or door handles. Mt. Crested Butte police chief Hank Smith says a bear literally smashed open the back door to the Avalanche Bar and Grill during the early morning of Tuesday, August 12. Smith thinks this is the same cinnamon-colored bear that DOW officials attempted to capture and relocate last summer, albeit unsuccessfully. Smith says the bear ate at least six gallons of ice cream.
After this incident, DOW area wildlife manager Chris Parmeter says the Division will make an attempt once again to trap and relocate the bear.
Fitzpatrick says most of the single households in Mt. Crested Butte are doing a good job keeping trash indoors and/or properly secured from bears.
Martin says the marshals have been keeping up with tickets, and have written hundred of warnings.
Wenum says bear sightings are expected to increase during late summer and fall as bears ramp up their calorie intake. “We’re into the time of year they go into a phase called hyperphasia. They need to put on a lot of calories to get their stores up enough to get them through the winter,” Wenum says.
To get the bare facts about living with bears, information about wildlife-resistant trash containers, and kids’ educational activities, visit the DOW’s new website at wildlife.state.co.us/WildlifeSpecies/LivingWithWildlife/Mammals/LivingWithBearsL1.htm
