Boulder backs off bear-resistant trash bins in favor of education, 'bear pledge'

4/2/2012

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City will rely on education program rather than costly test program 
A pilot program to disperse bear-resistant trash bins in neighborhoods near Boulder's foothills has been scrapped because the budget would only allow for 33 homes to be outfitted with the costly receptacles -- and that's too small of a sample to be effective, according to city officials.

Instead, Boulder leaders plan to spend $10,000 on an educational campaign this spring -- one that will include going door-to-door to ask residents to take a "bear pledge" signaling their intention to secure their trash to prevent bears from rummaging through it, according to a city memo on the Black Bear Urban Wildlife Management Plan.


Each bear-resistant container costs roughly $225, according to the memo, which would mean the bins would be provided for just one or two city blocks. And, since bears' foraging patterns have varied from year to year, there's no guarantee they'd be highly active in the areas where the secured bins were being tested.

At the same time, officials with trash hauler Western Disposal aren't too enthusiastic about the bear-resistant bins, saying they haven't picked up in popularity among Boulder residents.

The bins resemble traditional containers but feature an inner locking mechanism that can be flipped open with a fingertip, said Western Disposal spokesman Dan Powers. And while they've proven effective, he hesitates to call them entirely "bear-proof."


Living with bears 
Black bears are curious and will east almost anything. Here's a few tips for preventing bears from visiting your neighborhood:

1. Secure your trash

2. Remove bird feeders

3. Keep barbecues clean

4. Keep pet food indoors

5. Keep garage doors closed

6. Secure windows and doors

7. Be responsible about trash and bird feeders

8. Don't leave food or trash inside your vehicle

9. Pick fruit before it ripens, clean up fallen fruit

Source: City of Aspen and Pitkin County 
A few years ago, the trash-hauling company purchased 200 of the bear-resistant bins for $40,000, said Bryce Isaacson, vice president of sales and marketing. But only 87 Boulder residents have purchased the bins -- which also cost $10 extra a month to service because it takes truck drivers longer to collect from the bins since they need to be manually opened.

"People are interested in them until they find out it costs more -- then they don't want them," Isaacson said. "The city is backing away because to go out and buy all those carts for just a small area is not economically justifiable."

A large-scale bear study in Durango includes a $250,000 budget for the distribution of bear-resistant trash bins this spring.

Valerie Matheson, Boulder's urban wildlife coordinator, said the city is interested in hearing from residents who already have the bear-resistant trash bins.

Concerns about bears

But the focus of the city's plan for dealing with black bears has shifted to be more about education. The efforts will target homes south of Arapahoe Avenue, east of Ninth Street and north of Baseline Road. Officials will begin visiting households in late April.  

Wildlife officials have reason to be concerned about bears foraging in trash cans as rangers have reported finding scat with traces of cigarette butts, aluminum foil and other household items, Matheson said.




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Bear Hitches Ride on Vancouver Garbage Truck

12/19/2011

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A male black bear took an improbable road trip after he hitched a ride on a garbage truck and ended up in downtown Vancouver, Canada, Monday.

Believed to be up to 18 months old, the bear was caught on video roaming on top of a garbage truck as conservation officers climbed the truck in order to tranquillize the bear, all in the heart of downtown Vancouver. It’s unclear where the bear hitched the ride.

While the bear’s appearance surprised many city residents, Dave Cox, a conservation officer with the British Columbia Conservation Officer Service, says it makes sense that a bear ended up in the back of a garbage truck.

“Bears are a very opportunistic animal.”  Cox said of the chance that a bear would get into a garbage truck. “He would probably just climb inside and find a whole bunch of used garbage and had a big feast.”

Once in Vancouver, Cox says, the bear was spotted after sticking his head from the truck.

While Cox says the bear initially appeared nervous as officers approached him,  the bear’s appetite actually kept him calm as officers prepared to tranquillize him.

“His priority is food. No one is harassing him too much and he has a food source in front him,” Cox said. “He’s occupied. ”

While bears and other wild animals are not a common site on the streets of Vancouver, this is not the first time in recent months that a wild animal made its way into an urban area in British Columbia. A cougar was shot Dec. 8 by police officials after being spotted at a ferry terminal in Victoria, Canada.

Luckily for the black bear, officials deemed the unlikely hitchhiker a good candidate to be released back into the wild, because he did not act aggressive or confrontational. “The bear had no priors with us,” Cox said.

As news of a bear in the city captivated residents, a twitter feed started Monday afternoon titled @downtown_bear. Tweeting from the bear’s point of view, it laid out his plans for the day.

“Swim over to Granville island for lunch. I hear their dumpsters are organic,” read one tweet.

In spite of what the tweets reported, the bear was actually tranquillized and tagged before being released back into the wild near Whistler, Canada, earlier this week.


Article From: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2011/12/hitchhiking-bear-ends-up-on-garbage-truck-in-vancouver/
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