Bear working group hopes to lower human-bear encounters

Last winter several Seeley Lake area residents concerned about bear activity and conflicts met with local conservation groups, wildlife agencies, bear specialists, and biologists. We wanted to know how to best tackle bear population issues, sparking the formation of a local working group. This is the first of several articles that will introduce the community to the group.

Why are we called the Clearwater Valley Bear Smart Working Group? With bear

issues being served by Swan Valley Connection and Blackfoot Challenge, we realized the

Clearwater drainage needs attention. Our working group will focus on everything from the

Summit south to Clearwater Junction, and the drainages feeding the valley including Placid and Rainy Lakes. Our mission is to engage Clearwater Valley residents as to human/bear conflicts and share knowledge and resources to minimize risk of human safety, private property damage, and improve co-existence with bears in the drainage.

Since January, 2023 our Working Group has been very active meeting the 3rd Monday of every month at the Seeley Lake Foundation Building. Our group established a mission statement, developed a logic model which will guide the future endeavors, applied for and received grant funding, and assisted with a local hazard assessment and mapping of the area. We held an inaugural Bear Fair on June 18th on the old Littlebird lawn near the Farmer’s Market with about 200 local people and visitors interested in being bear aware. One lucky attendee received a bear resistant trash can.

Clearwater Valley Bear Smart Working Group is dedicated to ongoing education for new residents and seasonal visitors to the Clearwater Valley. Most importantly, the group hopes to increase community involvement and awareness. A few of our upcoming activities include positioning game cameras in key areas around the Clearwater drainage so that we can document bear activity and share with the community what’s happening with the habits of local bears. Stay tuned for more information on making bear resistant garbage cans available for checkout by local residents to help eliminate garbage attractants.

We have much work ahead of us and invite the community to learn more about being Bear Smart. If you would like to get involved or have input for our Clearwater Valley Bear Smart Working Group please reach out via Clearwater Wildlife Facebook page or email teaguemt@gmail.com.