On one of the last sunny and stunning Greater Yellowstone fall days, I find myself at the northern entrance of Yellowstone National Park. Roosevelt Arch to our left – a cow elk and her calf playing tourist under the arch – we drive down the hill to the Gardiner Public Schools’ campus to deliver three new bear-proof trash cans that will keep students safe and bears alive.  

In the driver's seat sits Evan Stout, program organizer for Bear Awareness Gardiner. “I have a photo of a female grizzly and her cubs in the field right there,” he says, pointing to the football field not 100 yards from the school’s entrance.  

We are greeted by the school’s mascot – a life-sized grizzly bear figure – the bruin, and my colleague at GYC, Blakeley Adkins. Blakeley is The Volgenau Foundation Wildlife Conservation Associate, and her work focuses on finding creative ways for humans and wildlife to live together.

Aptly represented, Gardiner Public Schools sits at the northern border of Yellowstone National Park along the Yellowstone River, in prime grizzly and black bear country. 

In fact, the west end of the school building is in Yellowstone. Grizzly bears and black bears have been spotted on campus numerous times. This spring, wolves killed and ate an elk in the middle of the school’s field. 

While up close encounters with wildlife are thrilling, they also present safety issues for humans and animals. If wildlife become used to humans and are less fearful, they often have to be removed from the landscape. In Gardiner, bears have been removed after getting into garbage and other attractants like apple trees, bee hives, grills, and bird feeders. 

To prevent bears from coming onto campus and getting into garbage, GYC partnered with Bear Awareness Gardiner and Gardiner Public Schools to install bear-proof garbage containers on the school grounds. 

The installation couldn’t have come at a better time for humans and bears. Fall in bear country means the bruins are on the hunt for high-calorie, easily accessible food sources to fatten them up before hibernation.  

This period of excessive eating is called hyperphagia. Bears may spend up to 22 hours a day eating and gain four pounds per day. To achieve such gains, bears are especially active and our chances of encountering them on the landscape – or in town – skyrocket. And, unfortunately, garbage is one of the highest calorie snacks they can find. 

When used properly, bear-proof trash cans prevent bears from getting into garbage, which prevents them from getting in trouble and keeps them alive. It will also prevent close encounters with students, staff, and visitors. 

“Securing trash is easy and one of the most beneficial steps we can take to live alongside bears and reduce conflicts. The Gardiner community is more familiar with grizzly encounters than most due to its proximity to Yellowstone, and it is important we are not teaching bears that they will get human food rewards by coming into town,” said Blakeley. "Bear-proof trash cans like these and the ones available through Bear Awareness Gardiner are something every resident and business owner should invest in. GYC is proud to partner with Bear Awareness Gardiner and the Gardiner School on this project.”  

For years, Blakeley and Evan have been working with people and businesses in Gardiner to offer solutions for living with bears, including residential bear-proof trash cans, bear-proof grease traps at restaurants, and electric fences to keep bears out of chicken coops and other attractants. 

If you happen to live in Gardiner and have any questions about tools you can use to keep yourself and bears safe, please reach out to Blakeley at badkins@greateryellowstone.org.

These projects are made possible by GYC supporters like you. If you’d like to help keep bears alive and people safe, consider making a gift today.

—London Bernier, Communications Associate (Bozeman, Montana)