Bear Necessities…
#1
Hi everyone.
I soo value peace and quiet, my anonymity and privacy, but here goes (you would not enjoy my dichotomy of thin skin and opinions, anyways Wink- )

Thank you John, for expending so much time and emotional energy to keep the SOB torch burning when so many of us have burned out and given up. When it’s time, I’m happy to help grow our team again. We are overdue.

3.5 points below:

1) for those of you who purchased a bear-resistant trash cart last year, the funds $$ generated from sales has covered the purchase of a secure dumpster which our Town Government (you are amazing!!) can use to store trash generated in public spaces and from events. There was enough to cover several months of disposal service as well. Hell yes!

2) the GRANT funding also allowed us to purchase a rather awesome electric fencing kit* ANY of you can request use of while you fix “the issue”, if your personal property is at risk or breached by our savvy bears. This is hands-down a tool not to be feared, but used effectively to help deter our bears from resources that result in problems for you and THEM. **

*Currently, the dang electric fencing kit is at my home, hopefully one day it will find a community space to reside at.

3) Would you like to borrow a game camera and share some photos of your wildlife with the community? I have a handful of cameras for us to use, in the spirit of fostering appreciation for
wildlife, but also to encourage our community to live responsibly, with the respect and aptitude it takes to keep wildlife wild.

0.5) A fruit-gleaning group is asking to assist landowners with fruit removal to reduce the habituation of bears to human developments like Jamestown (which leads to higher conflict, higher mortality rates for bears and an increased need for lethal means). This is also a Grant-funded service.

Lastly, I want to emphasis for like, the 12th year in a row…what you think ‘will be fine’, what your validating FB following says is acceptable practice to live harmoniously with bears, has narrowed significantly. We do not have the latitude formerly professed as workable solutions, so rethink your bird feeders, lock your car doors and close ground-level windows when you’re not at home because you made this agreement when you moved here.

Enormous thanks to those of you using air horns and throwing flying pans, for the hazing and for the entertainment.


**
If any of you would like to learn how to set up electric fencing, I need practice too! There are some workshops happening this summer. I cannot say enough about the workshop I recently attended hosted by Boulder Bear Coalition and some Sam-Elliot lookin’ dude from Canada who works with grizzlies. I want his job. Our CPW wildlife manager would also like to tinker with our new tool. Sounds like a BBQ to me (ok, that came out kinda wrong Cry )
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#2
Many thanks for all that info and for the amazing work you do, Michelle!

I love how you think and how excellently your writing gives us rare and wonderful glimpses of you!!

Echoing gratitude for John's work and passion to SOB, as well as air horn blowers, car horn sounders, barkers, yellers and hand clappers helping to keep several species safe.
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#3
Absolutely let us know if there is going to be an electric fence set up or demo.  What are the limitations around placement?  Such as places where dogs or kids might get mixed up with it?  I don't think veal BBQ's that well.  Confused
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#4
If it's a standard electric fence (that's typically used for horses and such), it's a high voltage (1000-6000 volts typically), but very little amperage (in the milliamps range) and for a very short period of time, it's enough to to get your attention, but not enough to cause injury (it's the amperage not the voltage that causes injury).  The higher voltage ones are typically used for animals that have thicker fur. 

Growing up.. I had experience brushing up against electric fences used for horse and cows.  Would even test to see if an electric fence was on by brushing the back of the fingers against the fence.
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#5
As a geologist who spent much of his time crossing farm fields, I got past many an electrical fence by using my rubber-handled Estwing rock hammer to push down on the top wire and carefully (future children at risk!) step over—a reliable method until one day when, leading a field trip and doing the same for others, a jolt went straight to my funny bone and sent the hammer flying. Let’s hope this fence isn’t that hot!

Bill B
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#6
The HOT WIRE set up I purchased to protect the School's Dumpster 7 years ago, when BIG RED was raiding
JimTown on a regular basis, worked great.  

I tested it and when you have your shoes on (grounded) and grab the wire, it is not that big a deal IMO.  
Take your shoes off and grab that wire and it will give you a jolt, but not a seriously painful jolt.  

Most BEARS do not even touch the wires, they sense the voltage running through the wires and avoid it. 

~ SOB john
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