Keep bears away by spring cleaning your yard

If you live here in Alaska, you know that all three species of North American bears flourish throughout our state, which means it’s pretty much guaranteed that you’ll never be very far away from a bear. Bears are amazing creatures – from a distance. That’s why it’s important to know all about bear safety, including how to avoid up-close-and-personal encounters.

A good way to keep bears from wandering too close to your home is to spring clean your yard and garden now to remove anything that might attract their interest when they happen to be nearby. We’ve put together an easy checklist for spring cleaning for bear safety to help you get started.

Bear-Safety Spring Cleaning Checklist

__ Bird Feeders: Feeding birds during the winter is a popular activity, but now it’s spring and you’re just as likely to attract bears who love all that birdseed too. Once spring hits, clean and store birdfeeders and clean up any spilled seed on the ground.

__ Pet Food: Pet food can also attract bears. Feed your pets inside if you can, never leave pet dishes with leftover food outside, and store all pet or livestock food indoors or in bear-resistant containers.

__ Outdoor Barbecues: Cooking food outside is one of the pleasures of spring and summer. Be sure to always clean your grill and empty grease traps, though, after each use, as they smell just as good to passing bear as to us.

__ Freezers: Deep freezers located in outbuildings can also attract bears, be sure that the buildings and the freezers are locked or otherwise secured.

__ Compost: Smelly compost will attract bears, but properly maintained compost does not smell. If you compost, do not add meat, grease or bones to it. Use only raw vegetable scraps or brown matter such as grass, leaves, straw and paper. Turn the compost pile frequently to boost decomposition and keep smells from building up. And finally, keep a pile of brown material such as dry leaves or grass cuttings nearby to add on top of raw food scraps.

__ Garbage Cans & Dumpsters: Store all trash inside buildings or in bear-proof containers and keep it secured until trash day pickup. If you have a dumpster with a heavy lid that latches, close the latch each time after putting trash inside. Bears can easily lift those lids and you’ll have a mess and a safety concern on your hands.

While bears are a natural part of life here in Alaska, it’s important to keep an eye on their activity in your area and report anything that might be dangerous. If you see bears acting aggressively, visiting the same trash area frequently, or in highly populated areas, contact the nearest Alaska Department of Fish and Game office by phone, report online at THIS LINK, or call 911 in cases of emergency. And to learn more about life with bears and tips for coexisting and enjoying them from a distance, visit Alaska’s Fish and Game website: Life with Bears.