Local Study Looks at the Potential for Human-Bear Conflicts

Nan Laney is the Skagit and Whatcom field coordinator for the Grizzly Bear Outreach Project. She has a background working in the natural resource sciences as a special education teacher and on several community education projects. Nan is a board member of the Sedro-Woolley Farmers Market and is always planning her next backcountry trip.

This past fall a Bear Smart Assessment was completed in and around six communities in eastern Whatcom and Skagit County: Kendall, Maple Falls, Glacier, Concrete, Rockport and Marblemount. The assessment looked at actual and potential human-bear conflicts, and the factors that may contribute to these conflicts.

The Grizzly Bear Outreach Project (GBOP), a small independent education project working in Whatcom and Skagit Counties, initiated the assessment as the first step in a Bear Smart education program. Bear Smart is focused on working with communities to reduce conflicts with bears—both black bears, which are relatively abundant, as well as grizzly bears, which are relatively rare, but may increase in numbers if grizzly bear recovery moves forward in the North Cascades (see the related article in December’s issue of Whatcom Watch).

Black bears and grizzly bears have been a part of the North Cascades ecosystem since prehistoric times. Black bears adapted more readily to the arrival of Europeans, while grizzly bear populations declined precipitously during the nineteenth century. There are about 6,000 black bears and about five to 20 grizzly bears in Washington’s North Cascades. Grizzly bears are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, and the North Cascades is one of six grizzly bear recovery areas in the lower 48 states.

Both black bears and grizzly bears are opportunistic omnivores, with plants comprising about 90 percent of their diet, and meat or fish about 10 percent. Much of the meat portion of their diet is winter-killed carrion (wildlife that dies over the winter). Black and grizzly bears feed heavily on emerging vegetation in the spring, and eat a variety of plants, berries, mushrooms and insects throughout the summer and fall.

Humans can unintentionally provide high quality food for bears. Orchard fruit, farm-grown raspberries and blueberries, beehives and compost can be attractive food sources for bears. Other common unnatural food sources include garbage, bird food, pet and livestock food and BBQ grease. Bears are extremely intelligent and have excellent memories. They can remember the location of a food source, natural or unnatural, for many years. This means that bears easily become conditioned to human foods.

A food-conditioned bear that forages in a residential area often results in a call to wildlife agents. During 2004 at least four bears were euthanized in eastern Skagit and Whatcom Counties due to human-bear conflicts. The old saying, “a fed bear is a dead bear,” is true. It is also true that taking a few simple preventive steps can reduce the number human-bear conflicts dramatically.

The Bear Smart Assessment was undertaken to gain a better understanding of factors that may contribute to human-bear conflicts in eastern Skagit and Whatcom Counties. The assessment included several components—personal interviews, review of aerial photographs and topographic maps, on-the-ground community assessments and garbage surveys.

A total of 39 east-county residents were interviewed, including representatives from the farming and ranching communities, local businesses, homeowners associations, resort managers, government agencies and law enforcement agencies. Residents were asked questions about knowledge of human-bear conflicts, agricultural and ranch practices, garbage disposal practices and other human behaviors that might attract bears (e.g., use of bird feeders, storage and placement of pet and livestock food, use and storage of BBQ grills, etc.).

Aerial photographs and topographic maps were reviewed to identify landscape characteristics associated with bear habitat and movement. Recent aerial photos can yield information about vegetation that may provide hiding cover, potential travel routes and even food sources. Topographic maps provide information about the locations of steep valleys and slopes that may funnel bears into specific areas.

The review of aerial photos and topographic maps was followed up with on-the-ground community assessments that looked at natural and unnatural bear attractants, bear travel corridors, community characteristics that might attract bears (e.g., dumpsters near forested areas) and signs of bears activity (e.g., scat, bear trails, overturned logs, etc.).

Garbage as a potential bear attractant was examined in four settings—rural households, commercial dumpsters (used by businesses and residential or RV developments), private and public campgrounds and illegal dumps. The type of garbage container used, where garbage is stored, and when residential garbage is placed near the road for pickup (e.g., the night before versus the morning of garbage pickup) can all impact whether or not garbage becomes a bear food source. Several residential areas in each county were surveyed to determine the time of garbage placement on the road for pickup (evening or morning) and proportion of residents with garbage pickup service.

Not surprisingly, the assessment indicates that much of the area in and around the six communities contains good bear habitat, particularly during the spring and fall. Some areas provide excellent habitat—the North Fork Nooksack, Baker Lake and Cascade River Valleys; the Skagit River Valley near Marblemount and Barnaby Slough (just east of Rockport).

Bear travel corridors are widespread and include natural as well as manmade routes (such as roads and trails). In eastern Whatcom County, bears move frequently along Glacier Creek and the North Fork Nooksack River. In eastern Skagit County, the Baker Lake and Cascade River Valleys are heavily used travel corridors, along with the Skagit River Valley near Marblemount. Bears are also reported to use several roads around Marblemount as travel corridors.

Skagit County residents reported frequent sightings (and occasional conflicts) with black bears in the Marblemount area, along the Cascade River and in the Baker Lake basin. Whatcom County residents reported frequent bear sightings (and significant conflicts during 2004) in and around Maple Falls and Glacier, particularly in the recreational communities of the Glen, Mt. Baker Rim, Snowline and Black Mountain Ranch.

In 2004, black bears were reported feeding on bird food, pet food, apples, garbage, bee hives and on food stored in coolers (at campgrounds) in the two-county assessment area. While these human-bear conflicts did not result in human injury, several bears were euthanized due to bears becoming conditioned to human foods.

Orchards and backyard fruit trees provide a significant attractant to bears in Skagit County and, to a lesser extent, Whatcom County. Bears were reported feeding on apples in many locations in eastern Skagit County. Commercial and home berry fields and small produce farms provide a potential food source, however minimal bear damage was reported. Several farmers stated that they like seeing bears as long as crop loss remains low.

As you might expect, beehives were also an attractant to bears in Whatcom and Skagit Counties, with several beekeepers experiencing repeated damage and others reporting little or no damage. Some beekeepers reported that placement of hives (e.g., near residences versus remote locations) and use of electric fencing reduced the potential for hive damage.

Ranchers reported no negative interactions with bears in recent years. Most attribute this to good sanitation practices (carcass disposal, livestock feed storage, etc.), electric or barbed wire fencing and the presence of dogs.

While garbage can be a major bear attractant, fortunately there weren’t widespread reports of bears getting into garbage. However, there were several “hotspots” of bear activity—in Maple Falls, Glacier and the Baker Lake area—where bears accessed garbage and other unnatural food sources (including bird food, pet food, food stored in coolers and beer) in 2004. It is noteworthy that there is easy access to garbage throughout the eastern parts of the two counties.

Residential garbage management was examined in selected areas of both counties. Within the areas surveyed, about 15 percent of rural households in eastern Skagit County and 44 percent of rural households in eastern Whatcom County had weekly garbage pickup. Of those households, about 62 percent put their garbage out the night before pickup. Early placement of garbage on the road (the night before pickup) provides an opportunity for bears to forage in garbage containers during the night.

A large proportion of residents do not have weekly garbage pickup. While a significant number of residents likely transport their garbage directly to the transfer station, the survey also indicated that some residents store significant amounts of garbage on-site and/or burn their waste.

A survey of dumpsters at businesses and residential or RV developments revealed almost no sanitation issues. However, almost all of the dumpsters had plastic lids that could be easily opened by bears. These dumpsters could serve as bear attractants in the future, particularly in years when natural foods are in short supply. Interviews indicated that at least one development in eastern Whatcom County had relatively frequent bear visits to their dumpsters in 2004.

Many private and public campgrounds in the assessment area use metal or plastic trashcans as a primary method of collecting garbage near campsites. While few conflicts with bears were reported at campgrounds (the exception being in the Baker Lake area), the availability of garbage in many campgrounds has the potential to contribute to human-bear conflicts in the future. Puget Sound Energy, which manages both Baker Lake Resort and a campground at the south end of Baker Lake, has committed to installing bear-proof dumpsters in all of its Baker Lake campgrounds—a very positive step.

The Bear Smart Assessment concludes that residents in eastern Skagit and Whatcom Counties are in an excellent position to prevent current and future conflicts with bears. Just about everyone that we spoke with stated that they enjoy seeing bears and appreciate living in bear country. It was also gratifying to hear many people state that minor changes can resolve many of the human-bear conflicts, which will allow residents to enjoy the presence of bears while living safely in a shared environment. §