Coram, Montana Garbage Site
This garbage disposal site (below) is located near Coram, Montana--just off U.S. Highway 2 a few miles west of Glacier National Park. A female grizzly with 2 cubs was captured here around September 1, 1999. A few days later it is believed the cubs were hit and killed by a train. The dumpsters are not "bear proof." In fact they have no lids.
This sign is posted at the entrance to the Coram garbage disposal site. It reads, "Site Closed at Night Due to Bear Problems." It is not closed to grizzlies.
On a more positive note--The disposal site at Coram, Montana is being moved to what will hopefully be a better location. The open dumpsters are reportedly going to be 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.
I was told about the garbage disposal site at Essex, Montana (below) by a visitor to this website. Essex is just south of Glacier National Park on U.S. Hwy. 2. A couple of days before I visited the site I was informed by an official with the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks that a trap had been set for a grizzly bear near the site. The trash containers here are "bearproof." I don't know how the garbage gets on the ground, but it is a definite eyesore and attractant to grizzly bears and other wildlife. Local residents who use the facility surely know that garbage attracts bears. Highway travelers may be the culprits, but it is an intolerable situation that must be corrected. Signs warning that garbage attracts grizzly and black bears should be put up. Fencing the entire site, with gate access should also be considered. But no matter what steps officials take, it is ultimately up to people who use the facility to keep it clean.
Garbage disposal area--Essex, Montana
What does the beautiful fence hide from highway travelers?
Garbage strewn on the ground and a trail of garbage leading into the woods. Note scat in the foreground.
A grizzly was seen jumping from one of the dumpsters on October 3, 1998, by an individual who has a cabin in the area. The next night he saw a grizzly bear eating garbage inside another dumpster. The grizzly jumped from the dumpster, carrying a plastic garbage sack, and ran into the nearby woods. People may be leaving the doors open, possibly to attract grizzly bears. People may also drop their garbage on the ground instead of placing it inside.
On August 29, 1998, I had a message from a visitor to my website who has a cabin in the
Essex area south of Glacier National Park, "Your message concerning the proper
handling of food and garbage in and about bear country goes without saying. If you
are really committed to this, I think you should stop at the "bear proof"
garbage containers beside Highway 2 at Essex and look at them. This situation is
reaching a point where an encounter is inevitable." I told him I would be going
to Glacier in a couple of weeks and would have a look. I visited the site and found
garbage on the ground, bear scat, and a trail of garbage leading into the woods. I made
several phone calls and was assured the problem was a broken dumpster and it was being
taken care of.
When I came home from work on October 6, I had an e-mail from the same man. He said
he went to the Essex site on October 3 at about 8:45 PM and saw a grizzly bear jump out of
one of the dumpsters. The next night he went back and saw a grizzly bear inside
another dumpster. The grizzly jumped out and carried a plastic garbage sack into the
woods. My blood began to boil. After so many grizzly bears had already been
killed in the NCDE, I hated to think that more would die because people were carelessly,
or intentionally, attracting grizzly bears to garbage.
I spent a sleepless night and wrote several e-mails. I made about fifteen phone calls over the next couple of days and sent more e-mails, trying to get someone to deal with the problem--Flathead County; Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks; Glacier National Park; IGBC; Izaak Walton Inn; Hungry Horse News; Missoulian; Daily Interlake; and others.
I got one of Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks' bear management specialists on his mobile (Tim Manley)--he had a 4-year old female grizzly in a culvert trap near Essex as we spoke, been attracted to a birdfeeder at a cabin. He later released her on-site with the aversive conditioning routine, including harassment by Karelian bear dogs. The young grizzly didn't come back to the cabins or birdfeeder but unfortunately was hit and killed by a train on October 25--Amtrak. Wheat was found in her scat. Although larger grain spills are being handled better than they were in the past, trains carrying grain between East Glacier and West Glacier spill grain along the tracks. Grizzlies are attracted and sometimes get killed.
On October 16 I received the following e-mail from a wildlife consultant who lives near Glacier:
James,
Your letter to the editor was in Hungry Horse News yesterday as was a
full description of the on-going problem in the Daily Interlake. The
Interlake story recounted everything you've told me to date including
bears climbing in and out of dumpsters. The Isaac Walton is apparently
responsible for the green box site as well and was quoted as saying
they've gone to twice a day clean-ups. It notes the new dumpster doors
are spring loaded and should close automatically. I'll try to take a run
over there next week and check on the accuracy of all this. Thanks for
lighting a fire under this issue - you may well have saved some bears!
I don’t know that I saved any bears—I do know that the thought of grizzly bears climbing in and out of dumpsters really made me sick. It was obviously a dangerous situation for the grizzlies and humans. Something had to be done. I knew I would feel pretty lousy if I heard that a grizzly bear had been killed because of the attraction to the Essex Dumpsters and I had not at least tried to do something about it.
Note: I stopped at Essex on September 5, 1999--the site was clean.
The following is an excerpt from Brian Peck's story called "Trains, Grain and Grizzlies" printed in the Great Bear Foundation's publication, Bear News, (Volume 13, No. 1 '98):
In the late 80's and early 90's, a series of train
derailments along the Middle Fork of the Flathead River south of Glacier National Park
dumped over 100 carloads of grain (mostly corn) along the railroad tracks in prime bear
habitat. Rather than removing the millions of pounds of grain, Burlington Northern
(BN) chose the easier and cheaper route of burying it on-site with predictable results.
As the grain fermented, both black and grizzly gbears flocked to the
site, digging down as much as 10 feet to reach the grain, and causing bear jams along
Highway 2.
When GBF Board Member and bear expert, Chuck Jonkel, toured the site with U.S.
Forest Service representatives, he saw a bear emergency in the making, told USFS so, and
provided them with a list of 27 specific actions that were required immediately to avoid a
catastrophe. Two crucial months later, the list hadn't even been passed on to the
agency's "bear specialist," much less implemented. Worse yet, bears were
increasingly being killed on the tracks and nearby roads as they came to feed. Soon,
over a dozen grizzlies from this "threatened" population were dead with no end
in sight. Under constant pressure from GBF and the National Wildlife Federation's
legal staff, the agencies and BN began to "feel the heat and see the light,"
eventually bringing in specialized equipment (four years after the first spill) and
spending $1.5 million to remove the grain that was luring bears to their death. At
the time, Jonkel predicted that the failure to clean up the spill quickly would ultimately
result in the early deaths of maybe 60 bears as they continued to visit the site for years
to come. He may well be right.(END)
During the Labor Day weekend in 1999, I was at a Great Bear Foundation meeting outside
Kalispell, Montana. Tim Manley was there with his Bear Dogs to give a talk. He got a
call from a BN engineer who said he thought he had hit and killed two grizzly cubs on a
trestle. The location was not far from the Coram garbage disposal site where Tim had
recently captured the cubs' mother (see photos above).
Note: Here is a report from the NCDE Subcommittee meeting held on 11/29/2000
Trains and Bear Mortality: BNSF has replaced most of their old, leaky grain cars; currently set up to get spills of 50-100 lbs. and up; CPR has a vacuum truck that lets you get all piles, and they’ll be checking this out; problem of bears getting hit on tressels still unresolved.
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.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has been strongly "encouraged" by the Great Bear Foundation, Sierra Club Grizzly Bear Ecosystems Project, and others to take action to stop black bear hunters from killing grizzly bears. In the fall of 2000 Fish, Wildlife and Parks established a Bear Identification Program website (see my "Links" page to check it out) to help educate hunters and others about the different characteristics that distinguish grizzly bears from black bears. There is no guarantee that black bear hunters will visit the new Bear ID web site, take the exams or training, or pass the exams if they actually participate. However, that will not prevent them from getting a permit to hunt black bears.
What is really needed is a required training/certification program before a license to hunt black bears can be obtained. If grizzly bears continue to be killed by black bear hunters, look for stronger calls to eliminate black bear hunting in and around grizzly bear recovery areas and litigation to stop the illegal killing of grizzlies by black bear hunters.
2000 Is Deadly Year for Yellowstone Grizzlies
The year 2000
has been another deadly year for Yellowstone grizzly bears. The Montana
Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks has reported 33 confirmed grizzly bear deaths
in the Yellowstone area.
The Fish, Wildlife and Parks data are for the entire Yellowstone ecosystem and include grizzly mortalities that may have occurred in Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho. The data indicate at least 23 of the mortalities were human-caused, with 16 deaths hunter-related and five killed by agency management actions. Most of the hunter-related deaths took place in Wyoming. One grizzly death is still under investigation. One mortality was caused by a sheep rancher protecting his dog. Seven grizzlies reportedly died of natural causes. Two others are dead of unknown causes. Five yearling cubs were orphaned when their mothers were shot.
A poor
whitebark pine cone crop in 2000 likely caused grizzlies to look elsewhere to store the
fat they need to survive winter hibernation. Hunters contributed heavily to the most
lethal year in a long time for Yellowstone grizzlies.
In the lower forty-eight
states the American Grizzly Bear occupies less than 2 percent of the former range.
Only about 1,000 grizzlies remain in the U.S. south of Canada.
Probably about 90 percent of those grizzly bears exist in the Yellowstone and the Northern
Continental Divide grizzly bear ecosystems. There are various estimates for the
number of grizzly bears living in the Yellowstone Grizzly Bear Ecosystem. The
Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan goal for limits on human-caused grizzly bear mortality is about
4 percent of the estimated population with no more than 28 percent of the human-caused
grizzly bear mortalities being adult females.
Seventeen known human-caused
grizzly bear mortalities and one suspected were recorded in 1995 in the Yellowstone
Grizzly Bear Ecosystem. Seven of those were females.
Between September 15 and
October 26, 1997, 8 grizzly bears were reportedly killed by hunters in the Greater
Yellowstone Ecosystem. In response to a suggestion from a member of the Interagency
Grizzly Bear Committee, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation has published a series of
stories in a special section on grizzly bears in the September--October 1998 edition of
their journal, Bugle. Issues of hunter safety and protection of grizzly bears are
discussed, including the effectiveness of the use of pepper spray to the benefit of both
grizzly and human. A story on the values associated with hunting in true
wilderness--wild places "where grizzlies roam" is eloquently presented by Kevin
Van Tighem, a wildlife biologist for Parks Canada. Dave Moody, of the Wyoming Game
and Fish Department, urged hunters to carry pepper spray after the first 5 of these 8
grizzly bears were killed by hunters during a two-week period in September, including a
female and her 3 offspring killed on September 15. Pepper spray is a non-lethal
means of dealing with grizzly bear encounters. Pepper spray has not prevented injury
in all situations but neither have firearms.
Hunters Can End Encounters Without Killing Grizzlies
Here's a story told to me by a hunter who had an encounter where both humans and grizzlies survived:
I was initially contacted by email. Here is part of the message:
"I encountered 3 Grizzlies at one time while on a Yellowstone area, Wyo. hunting
trip. Would like to talk to someone who is really qualified and knowledgeable about
Grizzly behavior. My hunting partner and I feel very fortunate considering that we had an
18 yard stand-off with a big grizzly."
He left his phone number and offered to pay for the call. It sounded like an interesting story so I thought I should go ahead and pay for the call. We talked for about an hour.
What an incredible story. Two guys hunting south of Yellowstone with 4 horses. A mule deer killed and hung. Returning to camp in the evening when they spot 2 grizzlies peacefully grazing, but moving in the direction of their camp. Then, a third grizzly, a larger bear comes out of nowhere, moving quickly toward the other two. Sounds like trouble, right? Not exactly. The two adults "rubbed noses" in a sort of greeting. The 3 bears grazed together out of sight. What in the heck is up with that? I guess they were just being bears.
A bear came into camp that night but appeared to be a black bear. The next morning around 9:00 they were preparing to take the mule deer into Jackson to store it. The larger of the 3 grizzlies from the day before showed up and proceeded straight for camp. One guy was performing his morning ritual. The other guy was trying to control some spooked horses. They got together and had a bit of a standoff with what sounded like a rather large and determined grizzly. They had their rifles ready, as best they could under the circumstances.
These two hunters probably made a couple of "mistakes" in the way they managed some items. I won't go into detail about that. The real message here is they did not panic. They valued the life of a Great Bear and gave him enough opportunity to just be a bear and not get killed because of it. They didn't get hurt and neither did the bear(s). I commend them and hope their story will be told far and wide.
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."
The Wind River Bear Institute was founded by veteran bear biologist Carrie Hunt. The goal of WRBI is to "reduce human-bear conflicts and change how problem bears are handled worldwide." Karelian Bear Dogs are raised and trained at WRBI in Utah. Karelians are now used by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks bear management specialists and others to teach bears to stay away from human developments such as campgrounds, cabins, and other areas. Aversive conditioning techniques are used that involves things like rubber bullets and bean bag rounds fired at bears from shotguns, pepper spray, screaming and yelling, and Karelian Bear Dogs. Karelianas are used to chase the bears, but only so far. The idea is for the bear to learn not to come looking for an easy meal from sources of human food and garbage. The program has shown a lot of promise in the short time since it began, 1996. However, it will ultimately be up to humans to properly manage food, garbage, livestock and pet food, bird feeders, and other attractants to prevent bears from having conflicts with humans and being killed as a result. Follow the link to "Wind River Bear Institute" on my "Links" page to learn more.
Tess-A Karelian Bear Dog
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. The latest example of this is a grizzly bear and her two cubs
who were removed from th Glacier area in September 2000. Here is an excerpt from a
story by By JIM MANN that ran in
The Daily InterLake:
After a long history of habituation to human foods, peaking with a recent binge in the North Fork, a female grizzly bear and her two cubs are being sent to a research facility in Washington.
The mother bear was free-darted at 1 a.m. Monday in the Teepee Lake area, where she had raided a back yard chest freezer filled with meat and pastries the night before.
The drugged bear was put in a family-sized culvert trap, where she lured in her two cubs at about 5 a.m. After lengthy discussions among a committee of grizzly bear managers, the decision was made to remove the bears out of concern for public safety and the potential for continued habituated behavior.
A research facility at Washington State University in Pullman,
Washington, agreed to accept the bears.
A note about this story (from the Wind River Bear Institute website):
"Star is the first bear removed from the wild that was part of the Wind River Bear Institute's program. Her loss could have been prevented. Lack of funding has created a critical shortage of resources. With fewer than 1000 grizzlies in the lower 48 states, the loss of Star, a healthy breeding female, and her two cubs is a tragic blow to a threatened species. These magnificent animals need your help. Your donations keep teams working in the field to keep bears like Star wild, healthy and free."
Washington State University Bear Research Facility
Other types of management actions, getting hit by cars, and pure poaching also contribute to mortality.
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