Be bear aware in Mineral County

SUPERIOR – Students at one Mineral County school have a better idea of what to do in case of a bear encounter after a presentation last week with an expert in the field taught them some essential knowledge on the subject.

Chuck Bartlebaugh of the Be Bear Aware campaign was on hand at the Superior Elementary School last week to instruct students on what to do and what not to do if the ever encounter a bear somewhere in Mineral County. Bartlebaugh said there were a lot of misconceptions on the subject and his job was to clear them up for young people.

“This is a travelling education program to get students, youth groups and communities familiar with bears,” Bartlebaugh said. “We teach people how to be safe around black bears, grizzly bears and mountain lions. Many local residents already know but they can also educate people recreating here with a little information.”

Bartlebaugh said most of the misconceptions regarding how to behave around bears and other types of potentially dangerous wildlife centered around the use of a device intended to provide a deterrent to a charging animal. He said many people were unaware of how to properly use and disperse bear spray.

“One thing we teach is how to properly use bear spray,” Bartlebaugh said. “Bear spray does work. The population of grizzly bears is increasing and they require a little more protocol as compared to a black bear. You want to leave them alone and maintain a safe distance from them. We want people to know what to do if you do have a close encounter.”

According to Bartlebaugh, bear spray is not intended to be dispersed at the last minute onto the bear itself. The proper usage is before the bear charges or attacks. Bartlebaugh said bear spray is designed to create a barrier between a person and a bear in the form of a cloud of irritant that the animal must move through in order to reach a person. He said typically, the animal reaches the cloud and begins to feel the effects of the irritant in the eyes, nose, mouth, throat and lungs and moves away to deal with problem instead of pursuing the charge.

“Usually, the bear will walk off,” Bartlebaugh said. “If a bear charges, using the bear spray will usually stop the bear and will also teach the bear not to charge people, approach people and to avoid people. It is really crucial that the public carry bear spray when they go into the woods.”

Bartlebaugh said he knew of at least one Mineral County resident that successfully stopped a charging wild animal by using bear spray. He also said he had personally used the device to dissuade a charging grizzly from an attack after he encountered one in the wild that was defending its territory.

“The bear was defending a moose kill,” Bartlebaugh said. “I forgot some of my training but I did stop it and that’s the important part. Bear spray creates a powerful, expanding cloud. You want to disperse it low to the ground. You don’t aim it. You direct it in front of the bear. The bear will be far too close for you to aim. If the bear is within 60 feet and charging, you can disperse the cloud. A charging bear can cover 20 feet per second.”

According to Bartlebaugh, the number of encounters between people and wildlife such as bears and mountain lions is on the rise. He said a variety of factors were leading to the higher numbers of encounters.

“It (rate of encounters) is increasing in the last 30 or 40 years,” Bartlebaugh said. “It’s partially because we are moving into their habitat and their numbers are coming back. There are also some people who feed bears and you should never do that. That creates a real problem with no easy solution.”

Bartlebaugh said there could be as many as 100 black bears at any one time in Mineral County in addition to four or five grizzly bears. He did say the animals are in the habit of consistently moving in and out of the area. He also said, one thing people can do to avoid bear encounters is to recognize the signs that one might be or recently was in the vicinity.

“An important point is recognizing that a bear is in the area,” Bartlebaugh said. “Digging, claw marks and bear droppings are all signs that you should be more alert. In areas of low visibility, bears can pop out from their day bed. Near running water, bears may not hear your approach and can be startled.”