Home Page--The American Grizzly Bear
At least two grizzly bears were killed by black bear hunters during the 1998 spring black bear hunting season in the Northern Continental Divide Grizzly Bear Ecosystem. One of the grizzlies was killed by a hunter from Pennsylvania with a guide--although he had supposedly been trained to distinguish the difference between grizzly bears and black bears, he took aim and killed a 350 pound grizzly bear. After a polite slap on the wrist, he returned to Pennsylvania--$1,000 fine, $2,000 "restitution," and loss of hunting privileges in Montana for two years--not nearly enough. The other mortality was a young grizzly shot and killed after charging a hunter--a warning shot repelled the initial charge. A Cut Bank, Montana man has reportedly been charged with illegally killing a grizzly bear--I don't know the details of that case.
Spring black bear hunting should be banned everywhere to protect mothers
and cubs. All black bear hunting should be banned in grizzly bear ecosystems to
protect grizzlies from bear hunters who can't tell the difference between a black
bear and a grizzly bear and hunters who buy black bear tags in hopes of illegally killing
a grizzly bear and getting away with it. Rewards are offered for information about
illegal killing of grizzly bears. Contact state or federal wildlife
officials.
Another grizzly bear was killed after getting into garbage and pet food at a residence near the town of Coram, just west of Glacier National Park.
Protecting Grizzlies in Two Languages: This garbage bin is located at the Dolly Varden picnic area in Kootenay National Park, British Columbia. Good quality bear-resistant garbage bins are located every few miles along Highway 93 through the park and in other parts of eastern B.C., sometimes one on each side of the highway. The highway was spotless. If we care, it's not that difficult to take care of our garbage.
September 8, 2000
I have seen many disgusting examples of people not taking care of their garbage. Highways
are littered
with tons of trash of every sort. People dump garbage, furniture, and appliances illegally
for someone
else to clean up. One of the most blatant examples of mismanagement of garbage is depicted
in the
photograph below.
These pictures were taken at Prudhoe Bay, Alaska in August 2000. If the oil industry can't
even manage
their garbage at a place like Prudhoe Bay, can we trust them to be environmentally
responsible should
they ever get their drill rigs into a sanctuary like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge?
I think not.
This is so ridiculous when we think about how many millions of dollars worth of oil pass
through the
trans-Alaska Pipeline every day. According to the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company web
site, "The
trans-Alaska pipeline moves oil at rates approaching 88,000 barrels an hour on its 800
mile journey to the
Port of Valdez in Prince William Sound." A barrel of crude oil is worth about $30. At
that rate of
movement of oil through the pipeline, $60 million worth of oil would pass through in a
24-hour period.
Prudhoe Bay should have the most state of the art bearproof garbage dumpsters money can
buy and
ensure garbage is properly managed to prevent bears from getting into it.
I have begun some research (and will be doing more) to find out who to contact to address
and correct
this problem. Will post an update soon.
September 12, 2000 (Update)
After learning about the problem at Prudhoe bay last Friday, I have made lots of phone
calls and sent a lot
of email messages. There was no news coming in over the weekend. Yesterday, Monday, I was
hopeful
that I would begin to get some answers, or at least find a contact. It didn't happen.
Early this morning I
sent 6 or 7 email messages to Alaska Department of Fish and Game and Alaska Department of
Environmental Conservation offices. Before noon, I had 5 email replies and one phone
message. I then
spent time talking with a biologist from Fish and Game on the phone (will attach his
message below). I
really appreciate the response from the state of Alaska.
Here is the message I received from Dick Shideler-- Habitat Division, Alaska Dept. Fish
& Game
James,
The short answer is that the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, in a recent
upgrade of
its solid waste regulations, has the authority to require animal-proof dumpsters. As a
result of this
regulation and DEC's willingness to enforce it, the North Slope Borough (the local agency
responsible
for solid waste disposal in the oilfields) outfitted the oilfield with bear-proof
dumpsters manufactured
by the Haul-All Corporation, for disposal of putrescible waste. The open, 25 cubic yard
dumpsters
continue to be used for scrap metal and other non-putrescible waste, but all garbage goes
into the
Haul-Alls or in a few cases, larger bins that have been fitted with user-manufactured
bear-proof lids.
This is the first full summer of deployment and already we are seeing positive changes in
bear use.
Grizzly bear use of the large industrial dumpsters has been common, and I have been in
charge of a
grizzly project at Prudhoe that has dealt directly with that issue. The Department of Fish
& Game has
had for some time regulations prohibiting the feeding of game animals, especially
bears."
I'd be happy to discuss this with you more at length if you wish.
Dick Shideler
Habitat Division
Alaska Dept. Fish & Game
1300 College Road
Fairbanks, AK 99701
I did call Dick and learned more about the issues of garbage management and bear (people)
management
at Prudhoe Bay, including at the local landfill. Prudhoe Bay still has its share of
problems with these
issues. From what I learned today, the situation seems to be improving--better dumpsters
and continuing
efforts to change people behavior. Hopefully, the Alaska Department of Environmental
Conservation will
be able to work with the North Slope Borough, the oil industry and, the conservation
community to keep
grizzly bears out of garbage. I could be wrong, but I have a feeling Dick Shideler will do
all he can to
make that happen.
I do understand that it takes time to change behavior, of both bears and people. It's a
shame that
grizzlies were ever attracted to garbage at Prudhoe Bay. Now, it appears efforts are
underway to
change that. The fact of the matter is, you can give people the best bear proof garbage
dumpsters
money can buy and still have problems if the garbage does not all get inside. Regulators
can't keep watch
on garbage disposal 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is ultimately up to the people who
generate the
garbage to do the right thing.
I will continue to learn more about the issues at Prudhoe Bay through contacts with
conservation groups,
industry, and government--may even try to visit the Arctic in the near future to see for
myself.
Additional information will be added as it becomes available.
The two photos below are provided courtesy of Charles
Image Copyrighted © Charles Erick
What is the future for a cub raised on garbage?
Image Copyrighted © Charles Erick
The next two photos are provided courtesy of the Alaska Department of fish
and Game. The first one
"Partners" was taken in Deadhorse, the industrial hub of the north slope oil
fields. The bottom phot is
from Angoon, in Southeast Alaska.
Partners
On a more positive note--I believe the open dumpsters at the Coram, Montana disposal site
(see Northern
Continental Divide Grizzly Bear Ecosystem/Glacier National Park page) have now been
replaced with
good quality "bearproof" dumpsters. If they can do the right thing at Coram,
they should be able to do
the right thing at Prudhoe Bay.
When grizzly bears are attracted to human food and garbage or have other
"conflicts" with humans, they
are likely to be destroyed. Grizzlies are occasionally sent to zoos or research
facilities, but there is little
room for them in these facilities, and it is sad to think of a wild grizzlies being
sentenced to live out
their lives in captivity.
Washington State University Bear Research Facility
Grizzly bears and black bears that become habituated to humans and their food are very likely to be destroyed. Habituation occurs due to carelessness by visitors to bear country and residents living in bear country. There are also cases of people intentionally feeding bears and other wildlife and reports of a wildlife photographer intentionally baiting bears on his property to obtain close-up photographs of grizzly bears--watch for them in your favorite wildlife or outdoor magazine.
July 14, 1998
My wife and I have just returned from a week of backpacking in Glacier National Park, Montana. A young black bear was shot and killed by a ranger on July 3, 1998, in one of the backcountry campsites after getting human food that was left unattended for a few minutes. The bear also got other food that was hung but not out of reach. Park Rangers spent three nights trying to haze the bear away from the campground by firing bean bags at him and using other means. The final straw came when he got into cookware that was left on the ground while campers took a day hike. We witnessed other inexcusable careless food-handling practices that may lead to the destruction of other black bears and/or grizzly bears--other cookware and food left unattended or improperly stored (including by a commercial guide service), food and garbage disposed in campsites and food preparation areas, feeding wildlife.
Food and other items with odors must be properly stored and hung out of reach of bears at all times when not in use, including cookware that had been washed. Trash and food waste must be packed out. After receiving a $50 fine for leaving their cookware unattended, we witnessed one of these same campers toss onion peels into the weeds at a food preparation area at another campsite. This individual is an educated man, a Yale Man, working for the Federal Reserve Board in Washington D.C. Ignorance is one thing, stupidity is another. I later talked to the Park Ranger who killed the young black bear--he said it was one of the hardest things he had ever had to do. It is true that "A Fed Bear Is A Dead Bear."
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