Help Make Missoula, MT, Bear-Smart
Donation protected
Bear Smart communities are popping up all over the Western United States and Canada as we grapple with the reality of human encroachment on wild places. In Missoula, we feel the work to become Bear Smart is well past due. Over the years, many bears have been trapped, relocated, and some even killed, and yet problems persist. The problem is not the bears; the problem is attractants in bear country like garbage, bird seed, chicken feed, apple trees, etc...
The great and really encouraging news is that Missoula County leadership, in partnership with the Missoula Bear Smart Team is actively working to bring Bear Smart guidance to Missoula. However, wisdom and reality help us understand that these things take time. We'd like to take some steps immediately though, to get some sites under control and save some bears! This is where you come in!
Right now, there are various projects for which we are accepting donations. These projects will manage sites that are recurring hot spots for conflict and haven't been resolved. Community action is the path forward. The expense for each project will be shared between public and private funds and materials pitching in to help.
Our aim is to gather seed money for projects that Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has identified as chronically attracting bears. In talking with Jamie Jonkel, of the Region 2 Bear Management team, he's got a growing list of at least 25 locations within the Missoula Bear Smart Project area that need intervention. The majority of projects involve dumpsters and garbage collection sites that are a "free for all" for bears, and create persistent conflict. For example, Jonkel knows of one site in Upper Grant Creek that over the years has "trained up" multiple black bears. We want to place bear resistant structures around the perimeter of these problematic sites to make them bear resistant and keep the bears from learning behaviors that more often than not lead to their demise. Electric fencing projects for agricultural sites will also be considered for funding. For example, Jonkel would love to see an electric fence around the Mount Jumbo Heritage Orchard. Funds collected will be used in the Bear Smart Missoula Project area.
Our goal is to keep bears out of trouble by being good citizens, and not drawing bears into conflict with our attractants. It makes sense!
We do not currently have a non-profit set up for this, the work will be done in partnership with MT Fish, Wildlife and Parks, other non-profit groups, and a bunch of concerned citizens. We may attempt to work with a non profit in the future, but these needs are right here right now with bears coming out of hibernation. Our focus is the areas where the North Hills Grizzly and her three cubs along with ten years worth of black bears have been drawn into conflict already. We are going to do our best to keep bears alive. This is Griz Nation, after all.
Go Griz, and thank you for your support. We'll report back as we get enough funds to start on projects.
Right now, there are various projects for which we are accepting donations. These projects will manage sites that are recurring hot spots for conflict and haven't been resolved. Community action is the path forward. The expense for each project will be shared between public and private funds and materials pitching in to help.
Our aim is to gather seed money for projects that Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has identified as chronically attracting bears. In talking with Jamie Jonkel, of the Region 2 Bear Management team, he's got a growing list of at least 25 locations within the Missoula Bear Smart Project area that need intervention. The majority of projects involve dumpsters and garbage collection sites that are a "free for all" for bears, and create persistent conflict. For example, Jonkel knows of one site in Upper Grant Creek that over the years has "trained up" multiple black bears. We want to place bear resistant structures around the perimeter of these problematic sites to make them bear resistant and keep the bears from learning behaviors that more often than not lead to their demise. Electric fencing projects for agricultural sites will also be considered for funding. For example, Jonkel would love to see an electric fence around the Mount Jumbo Heritage Orchard. Funds collected will be used in the Bear Smart Missoula Project area.
Our goal is to keep bears out of trouble by being good citizens, and not drawing bears into conflict with our attractants. It makes sense!
We do not currently have a non-profit set up for this, the work will be done in partnership with MT Fish, Wildlife and Parks, other non-profit groups, and a bunch of concerned citizens. We may attempt to work with a non profit in the future, but these needs are right here right now with bears coming out of hibernation. Our focus is the areas where the North Hills Grizzly and her three cubs along with ten years worth of black bears have been drawn into conflict already. We are going to do our best to keep bears alive. This is Griz Nation, after all.
Go Griz, and thank you for your support. We'll report back as we get enough funds to start on projects.
Organizer
Blake Nicolazzo
Organizer
Missoula, MT