Installing Bear Bins in Greater Yellowstone to Help Keep People Safe and Grizzlies Wild

Sep 30

Grizzly bears are one of the most iconic species of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem—living and recreating on landscapes shared by such wild creatures is indeed part of the draw to the Western way of life. As an umbrella species, a thriving grizzly population helps to support an overall healthy ecosystem.

By nature, these wide-ranging omnivores feed themselves by hunting for prey, consuming seeds, and foraging for vegetation, however, the opportunistic bears are also drawn to trash, livestock feed, and other attractants brought onto the land by humans. Most conflicts between people and bears arise from this behavior, which contributes to bear mortality.

*A bear-resistant food storage container near Lander, Wyoming. Providing people with the tools to secure garbage properly can prevent conflicts before they happen. (Photo GYC/Emmy Reed)*

The good news: proper storage of attractants can directly prevent conflict, keeping humans safe and bears wild. As grizzly populations continue to grow and bears reinhabit parts of their historic range from which they have long been absent, GYC is collaborating with government agencies and local communities to proactively prevent conflicts by providing bear-proof storage solutions.

This work is holistic and often starts with the people that live here. Providing folks with the education and tools to secure garbage properly can prevent conflicts before they happen.

In Wyoming, GYC helped to fund four bear-proof dumpsters that were installed this spring around Lander and contributed funds toward 15 bear bins for Atlantic City residents. In neighboring Montana, GYC this summer began the process of retrofitting dumpsters at transfer stations in Park and Madison counties, and installing bear-resistant garbage cans at the Gardiner School outside of Yellowstone National Park’s North Entrance.

*New bear-resistant containers being installed in Montana during the 2024 summer season. (Photo GYC/Erin Steva)*

Securing attractants is equally important on ranch lands as it is in neighborhoods, and GYC has worked to provide large storage containers on livestock allotments and cow camps that producers can share to keep feed and other attractants out of reach from grizzlies. Three such containers were installed in Montana’s Ruby Valley this season.

Our grizzly conflict prevention work is made possible through a long-standing U.S. Forest Service partnership. Thirty-nine bear bins were delivered to campgrounds across the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest this summer through this partnership, a step toward a shared goal of bear-proofing all campgrounds across the five National Forests surrounding Yellowstone.

GYC is committed to protecting all occupants of the GYE, human and animal alike. People are equal beneficiaries to bears when it comes to properly securing attractants—preventing conflict keeps everyone safe and can help increase tolerance of bears on the landscape. It is for this reason we focus on fostering bear-smart communities to proactively promote a low-conflict landscape where people and bears can coexist.

The implementation of these bear bins and other conflict reduction work is directly funded by you, our supporters. Thank you for doing your part to protect Greater Yellowstone grizzlies. Interested in staying updated on GYC’s grizzly bear work? Subscribe to our newsletter to stay looped in.