              |
Living in Bear Country --
On and Off the Trail
One of the seven LNT principles is to “Respect Wildlife.” One of the most important means we have of respecting wildlife is keeping our food sources separate from their food. Human foodstuffs are many times more calorie-dense when compared to wild food consumed by bears. For that reason, it just takes a single “find” for a bear to realize the enormous value of seeking out our Pop-tarts and Powerbars. This, in turn, leads to bears altering their natural routines and becoming “problem bears”-- though the writer Edward Abbey is quick to point out, “There are no problem bears-- just problem people.” Bears, after all, are just doing what comes naturally. It's our job to keep our food away from them. Over the years, our trail crews have had periodic visits from neighborhood bruins, both at the Jones Cottage and while camped in the backcountry. This summer was no exception, as one bear went so far as to break through the window of a vehicle parked at the AMC’s pack house for Madison Hut. The large adult bear broke one of the car’s windows and climbed into the driver’s seat -- all for a bag of trail mix. Though dramatic, such “car clouting” is actually not uncommon. Historically, when camped in the woods, RMC’s crews have hung their food in bags, suspended from branches. The LNT standards for hanging food is to get it at least 4 feet away from the tree trunk and 10 feet off the ground-- not an easy task here in the east where most trees have angled branches which may not be especially sturdy 4 feet away from the trunk.
This past summer, RMC experimented with a new strategy for bear-proofing our food and trash: a product called the “Critter Can,” which is available in a number of sizes ranging from 20 to 95 gallons. Critter Cans are also very affordable ranging in price from $45 to $150. The plastic Critter Cans feature a tight fitting, screw-on lid that’s both bear and rodent proof. The garbage can size is a sensible, affordable solution for homeowners who live in bear country and have faced challenges keeping animals out of the trash. This summer, the cans were put to the test by several bears visiting the RMC crew. Not in one case were the cans successfully opened-- happily keeping our food from quickly becoming the bear’s food, and enabling the RMC trail crews to do their part to help keep our bears wild. For more information on Critter Cans, see their web site. For information on backpacking-sized bear canisters, see the excellent National Park Service web site on the topic. More information on Leave
No Trace in RMC country can be found on our web site.
|
In
all of its work, RMC strives to minimize its impact in the backcountry,
keeping the area as pristine as possible for native residents
and for the next visitors. Our trail crews and caretakers receive
“Leave No Trace” training during orientation, and we’re
constantly on the lookout for new and innovative ways to reduce
our impact on the land.
Many
new alternatives for keeping food bear-proof now exist, however.
Sturdy, plastic bear canisters are becoming popular with backpackers.
Relatively lightweight, a hiker’s food can be stored securely
without going through the hassle and risk of hanging food.