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.