With cloudy skies threatening rain, the Clearwater Valley Bear Smart event kicked off the Dogtown Bear Fair on Sunday, June 29 hosted at the home of Cheri and Steve Thompson. More than 100 neighbors gathered from the Dogtown community for a delicious picnic and to learn about bear behavior and safety tips from several organizations.
Gathering together with friends made for a fun way to learn and explore all things bear. Here are a few highlights from the fair:
Are you smarter than the average bear? Visitors were tasked with opening bear-resistant trash cans and quickly discovered it takes a bit of human know-how but is easy once you figure out the latch, which luckily the bears cannot. AmeriCorps member Sam Allen, serving at Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, hosted a game for the young and old to see who could open a trash can the fastest.
The Bear Smart Group was checking out bear-resistant trash cans and nearly 30 folks signed up to get one. Thank you to those folks who asked for trash cans. You support bears living in our community and your neighbors by practicing good trash management.
Bear Spray works. A real hit for the afternoon was learning how to operate a can of bear spray. Chuck Bartlebaugh, from Be Bear Aware, and Morgan Vance, from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, introduced attendees to various ways to carry bear spray when hiking and camping. It really works, folks, and we encourage you to keep bear spray with you at all times when enjoying the Seeley Lake area.
Education matters. A newcomer to the Seeley Lake area who moved here from another part of the state told us, "I had no idea about bird feeders and now I know what to do." Do you? (Hint: Do not use bird bear feeders when the bears are awake and out of their dens.) Elaine Caton, Blackfoot Challenge Education Coordinator, helped kiddos plaster cast bear paws.
While tables were strewn with bear paraphernalia and materials, most entertaining were local bear stories told by Jamie Jonkle, FWP Bear Management Specialist for Missoula County, with the most relevant one being a mama grizzly and cubs sighted that morning less than two miles from the fair. Yep, the bears are indeed our neighbors, too.
Electric fencing was highlighted by Dane Williams, from the United States Department of Agriculture, and Jessica Reyes, with the Wind River Bear Institute. Karelian bear dogs were also highlighted to help folks learn ways to protect critters and property.
So, what's next? Alan Davis, the newly hired Clearwater Valley Bear Smart Community Coordinator will be reaching out to the folks who signed up for trash cans. The tentative date for delivery of the trash cans is Wednesday, Aug. 17. More education events are on the horizon and we want to hear your needs and ideas. For now, check out the table at the Sunday Market and test your bear smart knowledge and skills.
We thank all the volunteers and organizations for making time on a Sunday to attend this fun Clearwater Valley Bear Smart event at Dogtown. We want to give a very special thanks to a few folks:
Cheri and Steve Thompson for hosting the event and providing the food; Missoula County for a Rural Grant Program grant; the Blackfoot Challenge, our fiscal sponsor and key collaborator; Carla Schade, with the Seeley Lake Community Foundation for organizing the event; Sharon Teague, with the Seeley Lake Community Council; Alan Davis, Bear Smart Community Coordinator; Bill Wall, Clearwater Resource Council Board member; and Jamie Jonkel, our local Bear Smart expert with FWP.
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