Fewer bear problems this summer

I'm a little bit surprised that there have been so few grizzly bear problems this summer.

On Trail Creek, the huckleberry crop has been less than bountiful in the lower elevations, and this usually translates to more bear problems.

The two three-year-old sows that have been seen quite often have not caused any problems, and the big boar on Trail Creek has also been seen but, so far, has not been a problem.

I think there are several reasons for this, but the biggest is the fact that North Fork humans have become excellent guests in grizzly habitat.

Garbage is kept inside and hauled to town frequently. Pet food and other attractants are also kept inside. Even more important, bird feeders are dismantled in the summer and reserved for winter only. Many folks still have hummingbird feeders, but they're hung high out of a bear's reach.

It sounds simple but it's taken years to educate everyone, and it's important to continue the educational process for newcomers and to remind old timers.

We can thank the North Fork Landowners Association for printing the booklet "Living with Wildlife," which was given to landowners and local Realtors.

Also important is the publication of "Bear News," which informs locals of bear activity and how to live in bear country.

Finally the continuing efforts of Fish, Wildlife and Parks' bear management team, headed by Tim Manley and supplemented by the educational efforts of Forest Service educator Terrence McLelland, have made the North Fork a place where bears and people can share this beautiful place with few confrontations.

Of course, the very nature of the grizzly bear also makes this possible. The grizzly is not a carnivore looking to attack every living thing. The great bear is an omnivore, like human beings, and its diet includes more plants than animals.

The bears' long claws are used more to dig than as offensive weapons. A bear works hard to store fat for its winter hibernation, and that means huckleberries, chokecherries, mountain ash berries, roots and even ants provide more calories than red meat. In fact, bears, unlike wolves, do not spend a lot of time hunting - most of the meat they eat in Montana is carrion, not an animal they killed themselves.

A human is much safer in the woods with grizzly bears than on the streets of a big city. Here, the bear will almost always avoid human contact. In the city, there are other humans who will deliberately attack you. What do you think?

A few weeks ago, I said it didn't look like we would have much of a fire season. I hope I was not wrong. Everyone be careful with fire, it's getting really dry out there.