Human-bear conflicts are dangerous for both people and bears, and can be prevented. Next week, County Commissioners will discuss a way to decrease these conflicts: bear-proof trashcans in Teton County. We support a bear-proof trashcan requirement in Teton County, and sent our Commissioners the following comment to help inform their discussion of this important issue. We also sent them our recent report, created by Wild Neighborhoods Program Intern Emma Leither.
Read Emma’s bear-proof trashcan report here.
Our comments to the Board of County Commissioners:
Dear Commissioners,
Thank you for taking the time to discuss bear-proof trashcan regulations for Teton County next week. We believe Jackson Hole can be a national model of a community living in balance with nature. Adopting county-wide trashcan regulations to limit human-bear conflict is a positive step in that direction. Please consider and quickly implement proactive measures to limit conflict with wildlife, and prevent needless bear deaths. We support requiring bear-proof trashcans in all of Teton County, as well as all of the Town of Jackson, in a responsibly-phased manner.
This summer, the Alliance hosted an intern who investigated bear-proof trashcan solutions for Teton County. I have attached her report for your consideration as you analyze the best options. This report explores the different options for bear-proof trashcans currently on the market, the difficulty with zone-specific enforcement, and how implementing a plan for bear-proof trashcans fits into the County’s plan to transition into a Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) waste removal program. We have also shared this report with the Natural Resources Stakeholder Group.
Please be in touch if you have any questions or would like to discuss any findings from the report. We look forward to helping our county reduce our avoidable conflicts with wildlife.
Sincerely,
Leah Zamesnik
Conservation Policy Manager
