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Historically, black bears have
traveled down the Rattlesnake Creek drainage in search of food. Previous
attractants have included a rendering plant, orchards, a mink farm, and
garbage and compost piles throughout the Rattlesnake neighborhoods. The
garbage an d compost piles still exist today and continue to attract black bears,
skunks, and raccoons, to name a few. Because these attractants have been
available to them year-round, some black bears may not hibernate. Instead, they
remain in the lower parts of the drainage year-round. A list of
attractants that may be drawing bears near your home may include:
Garbage,
BBQ Grills, Birdseed, Fruit Trees, and Pet Food.
Local citizens
are dedicated to proactively reducing bear-human
conflicts and improving our neighborhoods. The Rattlesnake Bear Task
Force was organized to:
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Address bear habitation to human activity within the neighborhoods
of Wylie, Missoula and Raymond Avenue
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To create an effective, easy to manage, self-run, community-based
program that will provide a template for future neighborhood groups
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To maintain cleaner neighborhoods that
will prevent bears from learning to seek human sources of
food
THE RATTLESNAKE BEAR
TASK FORCE WILL
STRENGTHEN COMMUNITY
INVOLVEMENT
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Create a self-run community watch group
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Assign "Welcome Wagon" homes - these homes will educate new
residents about bears and bear attractants
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Go door to door with information about bears and bear attractants
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Assign neighborhood contacts for people to get information fast
DOCUMENT BEAR ACTIVITY
CREATE EDUCATION PROGRAMS
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Provide neighbors with information on bears and
how to avoid attracting bears to property
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"Block Party" community clean-up day
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Presentations to local groups
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Help neighbors remove bear attractants
Accomplishments of the Rattlesnake Bear Task Force
Since our first meeting in January 2004,
the Rattlesnake Bear Task Force (RBTF) has:
- Coordinated and held the 1st
annual Rattlesnake Bear Fair (2004) to promote awareness and
education about living with bears. Over 200 locals attended
the event,
- Cooperated with Montana Department of
Fish, Wildlife, & Parks (MDFWP) to address state legislation
concerning bear attractants (MT Code: 87-3-130-2001)
- Coordinated with Browning Ferris
Industries (BFI, our local waste disposal company) to
produce a letter to local residents regarding keeping
garbage contained (in a bear-resistant manner) until the
morning of pick-up. We also distributed this letter,
- Cooperated with MDFWP to serve as a
clearinghouse for bear-human encounters in the area,
- Obtained thousands of dollars in grant
contributions to be put towards reducing bear attractants in
the Rattlesnake, as well as educating local residents,
- Coordinated with and began similar
groups in other areas with bear-human conflicts such as the
Swan Valley and Seeley Lake,
- Coordinated door-to-door efforts to
distribute information about bear attractants and our group
to local residents,
- Developed and wrote brochures about
living with bears and the Rattlesnake Bear Task Force (RBTF),
- Worked together with a graduate
student at the University of Montana to determine the
Rattlesnake publics’ perspective of living with bears,
- Wrote articles for the Audubon
Society’s state-wide newsletter regarding the #2 bear
attractant in the Rattlesnake: Bird seed,
- Wrote and advertised radio P.S.A.’s to
communicate education locally about bear attractants and the
repercussions of feeding bears.
12. Created an informative website..www.rattlesnakebears.org
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