National forest imposes new ‘bear-resistant’ rules

[mister_coffee]

With respect to bear canisters, the theory is that they are too big and generally too smooth-sided for the bears to get any purchase on them with their jaws. This is a good blog post about known bear canister failures:

https://andrewskurka.com/bear-canister-failures/

Generally if they are properly closed, if everything is put in them, if you properly maintain them, and if you don't put them someplace the bear can roll them away or off of a cliff you are good.

I am surprised that no camping gear manufacturers are making a beefy bearproof cooler or portable refrigerator. But that would be a heavy and expensive thing to cart around camp.

One friend got away with using paint cans (the ones you can buy empty at a hardware store) which seal well and apparently block all odors. So far he hasn't had a problem with that. On the other hand I just hang my food and have never had a problem with bears in many decades of backpacking. Even in areas with notorious bear problems (Yosemite) I got away with hanging my food, I just hung it much better than anyone else.

You also have to exercise some common sense and avoid areas with obvious bear problems. Once a bear figures out that humans eat so very well they will be back every day for more, and probably bring all of their bear friends.

[just-jim]

.
I recall a truck camper parked at Crater Cr TH (Gold Creek) in the early 1980s. Someone left food inside and the entire top of the camper was peeled back like the top of a can of sardines! Bears were always a problem down there.
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[PAL]

Right. They recommend a "hard sided" camper, not say, a pop up. But you know, as you say Ray, a bear is so strong. But can they open a bear cannister?
Door handles on houses. Not the knobs but the kind that have a lever. A bear could easily push down on that and open the door. I have friends that lock their doors because they have those kinds of handles. And they do have at least 2 bears hanging out at their place.

[pasayten]

Also, bears can easily open up a car like a can of sardines and i would not be super confident about storing food in your car.

Saw a truck camper that was ripped open at the Andrews Creek trailhead in the 80's... Story was bear cubs entered thru the escape hatch on the roof and could not figure how to get back out. Mama bear ripped the entire side of the camper off. Camper had food and sugar in the cabinets. What a mess.

[mister_coffee]

About time campers cleaned up their act.

Black bears can go after food and be dangerous to humans too.

Also, bears can easily open up a car like a can of sardines and i would not be super confident about storing food in your car.

[PAL]

I wonder if it is getting worse. Usually I am on some kind of animal track when I say bushwhack, but my husband and I have also had to find out own way, with a convenient animal track here and there or sometimes not. We do see some kind of refuse usually but not alot, thank goodness.

[Jingles]

Pearl
I'm sure that if you do the bushwacking mentioned you find TP and other trash throughout the woods, often just out of sight of trailheads/ parking areas. Have yet to go on a buggy ride (side by side) and not bring back at least half a trask can liner full of stuff left by "CIVILIZED" recreaters, seems every time up a specific trail near Lost River the trash left is almost amazing.
In regards to dispersing gut piles there are no written regs/ rules, other than away from congested areas, i.e. trailheads/parking areas, however, it is encouraged that successful hunters at least disperse the piles, but kind of like leaving trash not everyone is conscientious enough to think of others or what affects it has on other users.
To be honest I am totally amazed at how UNcivilized the human species is, especially those that are "city dwellers"

[PAL]

Ah, no, no, no! We've been told by the experts that grizzleys don't want anything to do with us and won't be coming to visit the Valley. This is for all the wiley black bears out there, isn't it?
Oh, it is good to bear proof stuff because we don't want them habituated to human food. It is a wise program and maybe it will help clean up the dispersed campgrounds. It is amazing and disgusting what people leave after being at a camp site. How about dirty diapers? Used TP, on the ground. They should be kept out of the forest!
I have seen the guts of deer and bear left where the hunter thinks no one will see it. A gut sack beside a bike trail, how nice. I don't know what the rules are for the guts. Jingles what do you know of the protocol? If they were to fling them out into the middle of the woods maybe that would be ok, but I'm liable to come across them, with all the bushwacking I do.

[Jingles]

Getting the word out for the griz they have brought in

[pasayten]

National forest imposes new ‘bear-resistant’ rules
September 19, 2024 by Ann McCreary

Storage regulations aimed at reducing wildlife foraging

Campers, backpackers, hunters and other visitors to the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, including the Methow Ranger District, are now required to store any food, trash, or other wildlife attractants in a “bear-resistant manner,” according to new regulations that took effect this week.

The new food storage rules went into effect on Monday (Sept. 16) and are intended to reduce human-wildlife conflicts that result when people leave food or other attractants where wildlife can find them. That has become a growing problem, according to Okanogan Wenatchee National Forest officials.

“Across the Forest we are seeing an increase in visitation from people who are new to camping and hiking and not familiar with best practices for recreating responsibility and keeping a clean camp so as not to attract wildlife. We have also found that some people need to be more aware and prepared for potential encounters with bears and other wildlife,” said Deborah Kelly, public affairs specialist.

“We’re also experiencing increased incidences of people leaving trash in dispersed camp areas and developed campgrounds on several of our ranger districts, and are aware of reports of bear/human interactions on the forest and neighboring lands,” Kelly said.

The new food and refuse storage rules “will help us inform visitors what they can do to keep a clean camp to avoid habituating bears and other wildlife to recreation areas, and neighboring communities,” Kelly said.

Deterring bears

Under the new order, campers, hikers and anyone on the national forest lands will be required to store and dispose of food and other wildlife attractants in a “bear-resistant manner.”

Attractants are things that are scented or have odors that can attract bears and other wildlife, such as pet food, garbage and food containers, dirty cookware or utensils, or “smellable” items like soap, deodorant, toothpaste and wildlife carcasses.

When people leave food or garbage in the open at campgrounds or dispersed campsites, bears quickly learn that those locations are easy sources of food — with potentially bad outcomes for people and animals.

“Bears and other wildlife that begin to associate people with easy food sources can become habituated to areas such as campgrounds where food or other smellable items, like toothpaste or food wrappers, are accessible,” said David Farmer, deputy forest supervisor.

“These food-conditioned animals often cannot be scared away or successfully relocated to other areas. They continue to return to areas occupied by humans in search of food, at best becoming a nuisance, and at worse becoming a threat to human safety, and resulting in the animal being euthanized,” Farmer said.

The new rule on storage of food and attractants states that all “smellable” animal attractants should be stored in a secure building, a hard-sided vehicle, or certified bear-resistant containers. A certified container is one that has been approved by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee. Most bear-resistant containers sold in local outdoor retail stores meet these requirements, according to the Forest Service.

Soft-sided pop-up campers are not bear-resistant, and most food coolers are not bear-resistant and must be stored in a hard-sided vehicle.

The Forest Service also provides guidelines on how to hang food when camping away from a vehicle, and how hunters should handle wildlife carcasses. Cooking and food storage should be 200 feet away from a campsite, and no attractants can be burned, including things like leftover food and grease. All attractants must be stored in a sealed container and packed out with garbage or disposed of in a bear-resistant garbage container.

Getting the word out

“Over the new few months, the Forest will prioritize educating visitors about the new rules,” Farmer said. “We are also continuing our own efforts to install food lockers and wildlife resistant dumpsters at developed recreation sites. The rules may be new to our forest, but the practices we are requiring are standard across much of the west and reflect best advice for responsible recreation.”

Neighboring national forests, including the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie and Colville National Forests, have implemented similar orders, Kelly said. “The timing of the order happens to align with recent decision on the reintroduction of grizzly bears to the North Cascades Ecosystem,” she said.

The new rule provides fines of up to $5,000 for an individual or $10,000 for an organization, or up to six months in prison, or both for violations. The Forest Service will be working to inform the public about the new rule and how to recreate responsibly in coming months, but enforcement will not be delayed, Kelly said.

“That tool is now available to law enforcement and forest protection officers if any situation they encounter warrants a citation in seeking compliance to the order,” Kelly said.

Information about the new rule is available on the Okanogan Wenatchee National Forest website at: www.fs.usda.gov/detail/okawen/alerts-no ... prd1204206.

For information about living and recreating in bear country, visit bearwise.org.