Springtime is here, so Leavenworth residents need to be bear aware

Right now bears are starting to leave their dens and it is critical that folks around Chelan County manage attractants to prevent bear conflicts before they start.
 Springtime for bears is all about calories. Bears den for 4-5 months a year, and do not eat during this time. So they typically lose 25-40 percent of their body weight. In springtime their goal is to pack on as many calories as they can. So they are looking for the highest calorie meal to replenish that weight loss.
This puts them in a perfect position to come into contact with humans if we are not being careful because they can smell food from a mile away. A bear’s sense of smell is 20X that of a bloodhound. Bears that come across bird feeders (1 feeder = 750 calories), pet food (42,000 calories per bag), or garbage being left outside, will quickly learn that those “attractants” are all a great source of calories. Bears are not hanging around people because they like us, they are hanging around because we reward them with food. The more this happens, the more we can expect human/bear conflicts. It is especially frustrating if new cubs are learning this behavior with mom because it only perpetuates the problem.
Bears may be found in any part of Chelan County, but many negative bear interactions occur around Leavenworth, Lake Wenatchee, and Plain, so managing attractants like bird feeders and garbage is especially important in these areas, for businesses as well as residents. In particular, the residences around Commercial Street, East Leavenworth Road, Icicle Road, and Ponderosa/River Road have historically been high problem areas where attractants are unacceptable. Near Chelan, the South Lake Shore is another area with frequent conflicts.
Remember, conflicts between bears and people are not bear problems, they are people problems, whether it’s intentional or unintentional. If people take down bird feeders and hummingbird feeders, secure their trash in a building until trash day, and manage any other attractants, bears will not be rewarded. In Leavenworth in particular, garbage management at vacation rentals has recently become a big contributing factor to problem bears.
Lastly, when public education about living in bear country does not fix the problem, it is important to realize that under State law it is actually illegal to attract bears to populated areas. Last year the Department of Fish and Wildlife ultimately had to relocate five different bears in Chelan County, and set traps many more times. One bear was even entering garages and homes in Leavenworth looking for the easy meal. The vast majority of these conflicts were preventable. If education about attractants fails to help curb the issue, residents or businesses who negligently draw in bears with attractants may be issued a $150 infraction by a Fish and Wildlife Officer under RCW 77.15.790. Depending on landowner history and the severity of the violation, an individual could even be cited criminally for attracting bears. Please help in doing your part to keep bears in the wild and not attract them to you or your neighbor’s property.
Additional information on bears can be found at http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/bears.html.
Bear sightings or conflicts may be reported to WILDCOMM at 360-902-2936.