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Home My WebLink About10-16-23 Public Comment - N. Ostlie - Bear Smart Community FrameworkFrom: Dani Hess Sent: Monday, October 16, 2023 2:01 PM To: Nancy Ostlie <nancyostlie@gmail.com> Subject: RE: [EXTERNAL]Re: Recent efforts to contact City of Bozeman on Bear Smart program Thank you Nancy, I will share this with agenda@bozeman.net so that this is distributed to City Commissioners and the staff you mentioned below! I also wanted to let you know that we are continuing to offer bear resistant garbage bins and providing info online and to Bozeman neighborhoods about reducing bear conflict and managing attractants. Thanks, Dani Hess she/they Community Engagement Coordinator dhess@bozeman.net | 406-595-6585 City of Bozeman | 121 N. Rouse Ave From: Nancy Ostlie <nancyostlie@gmail.com> Sent: Friday, October 13, 2023 4:24 PM To: Dani Hess <dhess@BOZEMAN.NET> Subject: [EXTERNAL]Re: Recent efforts to contact City of Bozeman on Bear Smart program CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. By the way, Dani, I did not copy anyone else from the city on this, like Terry Cunningham, because I don't want to clutter inboxes. I assume you will share the contents with Terry, Nick Ross, Kevin Handelin, Jennifer Madgic and others as appropriate. Nancy On Fri, Oct 13, 2023 at 12:13 PM Nancy Ostlie <nancyostlie@gmail.com> wrote: Dear Dani, Thank you for taking my call today about a Bear Smart Community Framework. I said I would get back with you about my previous efforts to work with the city, since mid-August. On August 9 I left a message for Julie Hunter at the city manager's office. No reply. On August 10 I spoke with Kevin at Solid Waste Division, who suggested I call his boss, Kevin Handelin. I left two detailed messages for Kevin H. but did not get any reply. On August 11 I left a detailed message for Jeff Mihelich. No reply. About one week later I got a call from Nick Ross, and we talked about the topic. I learned about prior efforts by GYC, P&C, Sierra Club and Animal Welfare Institute. I contacted each of those entities and learned that the issue was no longer on the table after $23,000 was secured for 100 bear resistant containers. For example People and Carnivores told us that Bozeman was "not currently a focus area" for their work. Johanna Hamburger of Animal Welfare Institute said on October 4, "Thank you for reaching out to AWI regarding your efforts to create a Bear Smart community. Reducing human-bear conflict using humane methods and community education was a significant focus of our work until recently. Due to capacity constraints, we have not focused on this work for the past year, unfortunately. While we do not have capacity to actively engage on this issue, I am supportive of your efforts in Gallatin, and wish you the best of luck in creating a Bear Smart community there. Our efforts in Bozeman paid off tremendously, and I hope you and your local group can replicate that in Gallatin." ________________________ I also had a conversation with Nick Gevock of Sierra Club on September 27, and he asked to be listed as a Supporter of our efforts, and offered to attend meetings with other partners like Gallatin County. So you see we have connected with the partners that have had prior involvement. Another concerned citizen with prior involvement who I am working with reported to me that "Last summer I contacted Lisa Upson, the ED of People and Carnivores, who started working on this with the Sierra Club, the Animal Welfare Institute, and GYC. She said this project turned out to be much more complicated than they had expected... She said the Bozeman City Commissioners were basically not interested, although they must have come around somewhat to at least get 50 cans! P&C was able to get Virginia City bear proofed, so they must have had a more willing mayor and city officials. I think VC is certified "Bear Smart." Apparently it was difficult also because of the various garbage companies involved." In the meantime we made many other contacts, learning about Missoula's efforts in detail, connecting with the private trash haulers, interviewing Region 3 Fish Wildlife and Parks personnel, and consulting with people at MSU, the IGBC, and various other non-profits with scientific expertise in the community. But aside from obtaining bear-resistant containers for some city residents, we have a larger focus, as I said in my call today, to initiate steps across the County, including Big Sky, to reduce bear-human conflicts. The resource we are using to guide our actions is the IGBC Bear Smart Community Framework Manual. This October 4 letter to Terry Cunningham describes our plan and has a link to the IGBC Manual: _____________________________ Dear Terry Cunningham, I'm writing to let you know about a grassroots campaign to reduce human-bear conflicts in Gallatin County. Black bears have always appeared in Bozeman to seek food sources, but today there are ever more people living and recreating in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI), resulting in bear deaths when FWP responds to conflicts. Generally, 'nuisance bears' are not relocated at this time but are euthanized. We want to renew emphasis across Gallatin County that people can take straightforward steps to reduce conflicts. FWP advises that about 85% of incidents are related to unsecured trash and birdfeeders in the Bozeman area. Related problems in Big Sky include construction dumpsters that may accumulate household trash, and homes that are not owner-occupied. Fortunately, the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC) has published a Manual that communities can use to improve efforts. The IGBC Community Framework Manual can be reviewed here: https://igbconline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Bear-Smart-Manual-Final-Draft-16May23.pdf The cities of Missoula, Red Lodge, Whitefish and Virginia City have all taken steps to implement the IGBC Manual. Missoula has been working since at least 2002 on this, but we want to expedite steps to make a difference in Bozeman and Big Sky. I'm working with friend Dorothy Filson of Belgrade, and running ideas past Clint Nagel of Gallatin Wildlife Association so far. We have met with Gallatin County Commissioner Jennifer Boyer who is supportive and are contacting City Staff. We are now assembling a 'committee' of supporters which is a step the Manual outlines. We plan to include the City of Bozeman, Gallatin County, Region 3 Fish Wildlife and Parks, Republic Services, L&L Site Services, and Gallatin Wildlife Association at a minimum on a central committee, and accumulate an additional list of "Supporters" to include Sierra Club (Nick Gevock), who has offered to help. We are contacting many other businesses, bear experts, individuals, and local NGOs and welcome anyone to join the Supporters list to demonstrate public support to local government. Our first step is to do a Threat Assessment, which will be a map of bear conflict areas in Gallatin County. Region 3 FWP Bear Specialist Jeremiah Smith has agreed to provide data on bear conflicts within coming days in response to our FOIA request for that information. We will map out 'Bear Buffer Zones' as Missoula has done, to identify areas that should take stronger steps to minimize attractants for bears, such as foothills neighborhoods, riparian zones etc. After the Threat Assessment is available we will move forward with a Plan, per IGBC Manual recommendations. Please reply to this message, indicating your support. Include name, position, organization or entity, phone number and email address of the person we can keep on file as a contact point. Thank you in advance for your concern and willingness to help move our county forward in coexisting with wildlife! _____________________________ Terry replied on October 9 as follows: Nancy: Thank you for contacting me about the Bear Smart Community initiative. The photos of black bears in the county landfill are heartbreaking and disturbing. As an individual commissioner, I can't commit the city to any particular course of action, or suggest what is the best path forward (county ordinance or city action) or what level of support the city can provide in a region-wide effort. We make those decisions as a group, with input from city staff in a public forum with a properly noticed agenda item, and in recognition of our current approved budget. I know that may seem a "less than nimble" process, but that's the process outlined in our city charter. My advice would be to bring this subject to the attention of the entire commission by sending an email to agenda@bozeman.net as well as making a comment at the next city commission meeting. While we can't take action on any item that's not on the agenda for that meeting, it can get the subject on the radar of the entire commission. I know that the Sensitive Lands working group attempted to gather information about wildlife corridors for a number of species. I'm also aware, as you mention, that we have been working with non-profits to make bearproof trash receptacles available in targeted neighborhoods. We can ask staff to provide an update on our current efforts and propose possible expansion of the program, if 3 commission members agree to do so. Thank you for your commitment to keeping bears safe from people and vice-versa. ____________________________________ Finally, I am printing here some correspondence shared with Gallatin County on August 30, 2023, showing our plans at that time. The plans are being adjusted as we go forward, depending on input from partners like the County and the City. (The idea to set up a small conflict reduction pilot project is not now a priority.) ______________________ "Following is my proposal for five actions we could take in sequence, using the flyer from Rosie Costain of People and Carnivores called "How to Become a Bear Smart Community." I hope we can agree on a version of this plan to guide our next steps. Of course we can continue to make other inquiries that will inform our efforts, such as contacting City of Bozeman, trash contractors and others. This proposal is honed down to the minimum steps we can take to get to implementation sooner than later. Please comment! 1. Set up small conflict reduction pilot project -- get materials for electric fencing, chain link enclosures and other examples of ideal 'bear-proofing'. Find volunteer neighborhood with small livestock, fruit trees, etc. (Get help from FWP and others.) Optional: list official "committee" or "working group" members, or not. While this seems typical, and we want to demonstrate community support, it could burden the process by everyone trying to reach agreement on the whole plan. Maybe we can have "Supporters" sign on after we make a basic plan? 2. Create "Assessment": the list of causes of bear conflicts and map of local conflict landscape. 3. Create "Action Plan": the solutions to conflicts identified above; the rules for bear-smart practices. Publish it widely. 4. Implement: Establish ordinances and fines. 5. Monitor and Sustain: Assign future management to part-time compliance officer/volunteer. Seek funding? Thank you all for considering this proposal. My intent is to map out actions that we can take within a reasonable time period. Of course it can change as we go!" ______________________________ You may share this letter as you see fit, and I will copy other partners on it, in the hope that we can work together on an issue we all care about. I look forward to a reply, in the form of a next step you and the city would advise. Thank you. Nancy Ostlie Bozeman MT 406-539-5559