BIGFORK — The Bigfork Chamber of Commerce has partnered with wildlife experts and local businesses to launch the “Bear in Mind Business” initiative.
The program aims to prevent human-bear conflicts by providing tools, education and expert guidance to Bigfork businesses ahead of the busy summer season.
“What that entails is really trying to work on helping the customers be bear aware and bear safe, and just general visitors as well as the employees that work here,” said People and Carnivores Conflict Prevention Specialist Ryan Wilbur.
Learn more about the "Bear in Mind Business” initiative:
People and Carnivores is an environmental conservation group working to prevent human-carnivore conflicts.
They teamed up with Swan Valley Connections to help businesses become bear aware.
“If bears are coming into the area and we’ve secured a lot of these attractants, we’re providing an opportunity not to cause conflict, we’re really allowing bears to continue to move and keep people safe as well as bears,” said Wilbur.
The Bear in Mind initiative helps businesses secure attractants such as garbage and food waste with these bear-resistant cans.
"Securing those attractants, whether that is grills, or fruit trees, or gardens around the area, as well as waste management,” added Wilbur.
Wilbur said businesses in the initiative hand out bear safety pamphlets to employees and customers.
“So right now we have 14 different businesses that are interested, ranging from restaurants to property management and just other local businesses and we’re really just hoping to expand as much as we can.”
Timbers Motel Owner Aaron Whitten joined the campaign to help the small town of Bigfork coexist with bears.
“What we’re looking to do is cohabitate safely, keep our guests safe here at the hotel, keep our travelers safe that are coming to downtown, make sure that people want to be here and at the same time respect the fact that we do live in the wilderness,” said Whitten.
More information on how to join the free initiative can be found here.
