Juneau’s black bears are starting to wake up for the spring. And Roy Churchwell, a local biologist with the state Department of Fish and Game, says they’ll be hungry.
“The whole time that they’re out from the den, their most important thing is to find food,” he said. “So as soon as they come out in the next few weeks, that’s kind of the first thing on their mind.”
Bears usually start to emerge from hibernation in April. And right on time, reports of bear sightings around Juneau started showing up on social media late last month.
Churchwell says the hungry bears should be looking for spring greens like sedges and skunk cabbage, but the smell of trash could distract them.
“And they can become dependent because it’s just easier for a bear to bulk up on pizza and things like that,” Churchwell said.
Bears are often protective of their food. So a bear that gets in the habit of snacking on neighborhood trash can become more dangerous. Often that’s what leads to Fish and Game killing problem bears.
Juneau does have waste management ordinances to minimize confrontation between bears and people. Public service officer Alicia Sell, with the Juneau Police Department, says enforcing those rules is an important way to keep people safe in bear country.
“The more secure our trash is, the less bear action we have,” Sell said. “So therefore, we’re not going to have them in the neighborhoods in the residential areas, you know, walking down the street when our kids are going to school.”
Under city rules, trash can only be put out on the curb after 4 a.m. on pick-up days, and that trash must be secured in a bear-resistant container.
That could be a garage, a locked shed or garbage cans that can only be opened with tools, not with force.
Sell says that people get in the habit of neglecting the rules while bears are hibernating, especially by leaving trash cans out overnight.
“The problem is, now that the bears are starting to wake up, people are still forgetting,” she said. “And that’s when they’re going and hitting all the trash cans.”
Residents who fail to meet the city’s trash rules can be fined $50 for their first offense.
Churchwell says the popular rolling cart trash cans that many Juneau residents have are considered bear-resistant by city standards. But the cleverest bears can still find creative ways to tip them over and squeeze them open.
“Bears definitely learn behavior. And so once they find something that works, they’ll try it again and again,” Churchwell said.
Residents should also try to minimize the odor of the trash they put out by double-bagging it, deodorizing cans with bleach or by separating wet garbage — things like food scraps — in more air-tight containers.
While garbage is the biggest issue, Churchwell says there are other bear attractants that can cause problems this time of year — things like bird feeders, pet food, compost or grills that haven’t been thoroughly cleaned.
