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Tough garbage cans stand ‘hungry bruin’ test •Grant makes bear-resistant garbage cans affordableMay 23, 2008
Lewis, a wildlife technician for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, said more housing developments are leading to more run-ins with the bears. “You can’t hardly drive around without seeing a subdivision going in someplace where there hasn’t been development before,” Lewis said. “We’re just in response mode right now — and we’re also trying to be proactive.” While it’s no big secret that wild animals will take most any easy meal, people still tend to forget that their trash attracts hungry bruins, and other wildlife. Lewis said bears, especially, tend to be sight conditioned and will return to a source once they’ve found it. “They always go for a lot of bang for very little buck,” Lewis said of bear eating habits. And once they find a fulfilling garbage drop, they’ll continue to work the neighborhood — and without preventative measures, Lewis and the cops will just be chasing bears back and forth through neighborhoods. Sure, it sounds entertaining, but it can lead to hairy life-and-death situations if not addressed. “Some people seem to enjoy it. You know, they get a couple of pictures — and then they say, ‘Now what do I do?’” Lewis said. So to nip a problem in the bud, Lewis is promoting preventative behavior. The Homer Wildlife Conservation Community received a $100,000 grant from the U.S. Program Fish and Wildlife Service to get a shipment of bear-resistant garbage cans for interested locals. The grant makes the cans far more affordable, which come from a design by Otto BearSaver manufactures in Ontario, Calif. BearSaver makes three models of garbage cans — one of which is called “The Grizzly Model.” The company boasts it as a “fully secured cart offering the maximum level of protection,” including a bear-resistant latch, steel reinforced side rails, lid, back corners, back stiffener and handle. The 95-gallon version passed as “Grizzly Bear Resistant” under Patti Sowka’s Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee test. Fish and Wildlife Services of Montana headed up controlled experiment that would test the level of bear resistancy in garbage cans. They were tested by eight burly captive brown bears that have six years experience thrashing and gutting garbage cans whose makers often say their products are bear proof. The bears live in captivity in West Yellowstone. Packed with “good-tasting stuff,” Sowka said the baited cans get the first-degree, and if the cans survive 60 minutes under a hungry bear, they get a gold star. “These are seasoned professionals, so it’s a pretty rigorous test,” Sowka said. Sowka said she sees knock-offs roll through her test grounds. The BearSaver, however, is good stuff. “It’s a really novel idea with heavy-duty reinforced areas and a unique latch where you have to insert your finger in a hole to release the latch. Bears can’t very well do that with just one claw,” Sowka said. The cans also take error out of the latching steps, as the mechanism automatically latches when closed. Sowka coordinates all the testing done through the Fish/Wildlife and Parks of Montana. With the grant, the conservation society can purchase around 100 garbage cans to address the problem of bears in city limits and on the fringe — giving dwellers another means to comply with the ordinance Homer City Council passed last year that could fine people for having bear attractants. That means leaving out livestock feed, garbage and pet food could lead to a citation if it continually attracts bears. George Matz with the Kachemak Bay Conservation Society said the group’s efforts are, in part, a response to escalated human-bear interactions. “KBCS supports living in harmony with wildlife, and we want to resolve this,” Matz said. The program is for people who have to leave their garbage outside and who don’t want to give bears a free lunch. Sonja Jahrsdoefer with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said she’s convinced the bear-proof containers are working — as anecdotal evidence is showing her. She said the program is a great way for people to get the high-tech containers at a quarter of the normal cost. “It’s an easy fix, and it shouldn’t be an inconvenience at all,” she said. The garbage cans will be available and affordable — and will show visitors to Alaska that Alaskans know how to live alongside wildlife responsibly. Lewis sees this as a kind of seed money, and not a forced program that will soon take hold Borough-wide once all the municipalities on the Peninsula are on board. Mayor John Williams has written a proclamation that the assembly should be involved. And once everyone has signed up, Lewis will bring the governments together in an advisory capacity to apply the program long-term style on the Kenai. Lewis stressed the program is all about making the containers affordable so it’s easier to comply with the laws already in place. It’s that, or face fines for noncompliance. “A container cost $50, and fines can come to $110. This is just doing what’s reasonable,” he said. The project, if it works as planned, should lessen the incidences Lewis and police get phone calls. They also hope it encourages the stewardship of coastal Alaska.
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