Seeley Swan Pathfinder -

New Bear Buffer Zone regulations will go into action after Missoula City Council finalized the decision to expand the zone, including new regulations around garbage storage in the Potomac Valley.

Potomac will be requiring bear resistant garbage cans by Sept. 1, 2024. The ordinance revising the Missoula municipal code will be instituted over a three phase multi-year plan.

The proposed rules are an outcome of the work of the Bear Smart Working Group,

which is a public-private partnership of bear experts, agency representatives, and concerned citizens. The group developed a Bear Hazard Assess...