Where the Beartooth Mountains ease into the expansive plains of northern Wyoming sits a sweet corn field that each fall transforms into a full-blown harvest festival complete with a corn maze, pumpkin patch, and hay bale slide. Gallagher’s Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch has become a seasonal tradition for families across northwestern Wyoming, drawing in all sorts of visitors.

Among such visitors are grizzly bears, drawn down from the nearby mountains by the allure of an easy meal, putting both the bears and the Gallagher family at risk as they harvest corn by hand. The Greater Yellowstone Coalition, among various partners, in September completed the installation of an electric fence around the perimeter of the field in an effort to prevent conflict with uninvited bruins.

“When we first opened the maze, bears were in the back of our mind,” said owner Cecil Gallagher. “We knew they were in the area but just kept a lookout for their sign and kept our eyes open to potential hazards. We did have to shut down the maze one week because of the presence of a sow and two cubs.”

Greater Yellowstone grizzly bears are expanding their range back into historic habitats as a result of decades of strategic conservation practices.

Nearly 20 percent of Wyoming’s conflict-related grizzly bear captures in 2023 occurred in the Clark area, according to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. On shared landscapes such as those in Clark, Wyoming, finding innovative conflict prevention solutions is key to protecting both people and bruin occupants.

GYC approached the Department last year about partnering on a grizzly conflict prevention project, and then-newly hired Bear Wise Program Coordinator Mark Aughton suggested permanent electric fencing around the corn maze to ensure the safety of the public and local wildlife.

“WGFD has been deeply involved in addressing ongoing grizzly bear conflicts in the Clark area,” Aughton said. “The Gallagher family has been exemplary in taking proactive measures to prevent conflicts and working closely with us as we manage these challenges. The Gallaghers, WGFD, GYC, and our numerous other partners have worked extensively together to build a lasting solution for the community.”

GYC, with the help of Shipley Foundation, Inc, funded approximately two thirds of the project and secured funds for the remaining costs through partnerships with WGFD, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USDA Wildlife Services, and Defenders of Wildlife. After a year of planning, partners in September began removing existing barbed wire fencing.

“This project has been a labor of love,” said Erin Welty, GYC’s Cody-based Senior Wyoming Conservation Associate. “GYC wants to support our working lands while also helping to reduce conflict and increase tolerance for all wildlife on private and public lands. I’m grateful to Wyoming Game and Fish and the Gallagher’s for letting us be part of this effort.”

The 9,600-foot long, five-wire electrified fence was completed just a few days after the corn maze opened on September 27. Electric fences are the number one deterrent for keeping bears out of agricultural areas like chicken coops, bee apiaries, feed storage, and now, corn fields.

“Since the fence has been installed, my family has been more at ease with the situation,” Gallagher said. “We still check the maze daily as we always will, but are reassured that the problem is solved.”

Thank you to the donors and partners that made this inventive project possible. Conflict reduction work such as this is a critical component in maintaining a stable bear population and supporting natural connectivity between recovery ecosystems.

—  Julia Barton, Communications Associate (Bozeman, Montana)