New group aims to decrease wildlife conflicts in Blaine County
New group aims to decrease wildlife conflicts in Blaine County
Fish and Game says they're getting more calls about bears getting into trash cans in the Wood River Valley, but mountain lions have also become more of an issue.
THEY'RE GETTINGMORE CALLS ABOUTBEARS GETTING INTOTRASH CANS...AND IT'S NOT JUSTBEARS NOW.MOUNTAIN LIONSARE ALSO GETTINGINTO THE ACT..IDAHO NEWS 6REPORTER NATASHAWILLIAMS SHOWS USHOW A NEW GROUPCALLED THE WOODRIVER VALLEYWILDLIFE SMARTCOMMUNITIESCOALITION IS TRYINGTO FIND SOLUTIONS.THE COALITION ISMADE UP OFMULTIPLE GROUPS,INCLUDING FISH ANDGAME, THE IDAHOCONSERVATIONLEAGUE, ANDREPRESENTATIVESFROM LOCAL CITIES.THEY SAY THEIRGOAL IS TO INFORMAND EDUCATE."JUST BROADLYWE'RE SEEING MOREACTIVITY, AND THATMEANS WE NEED TOSTEP UP THEACTIONS WE TAKE."AS IDAHO NEWS 6HAS REPORTED...WILDLIFE CONFLICTSAREN'T A NEWPROBLEM... BUT FISHAND GAME SAYS IT'SHAPPENING MOREAND MORE OFTEN INTHE AREA.
THAT'SWHY THEY FORMEDTHE COALITION."WE HAD BEAR-HUMAN CONFLICTS,MEANING BEARSTYPICALLY GETTINGINTO RESIDENTIALGARBAGE.
WE HADMOUNTAIN LIONSATTACKING PETS,WE'VE HADNUMEROUSSIGHTINGS ANDSOME ENCOUNTERSIN THE WOOD RIVERVALLEY."THE COALITION ISEXPLORING ANOPTION TO PROVIDEBEAR-RESISTANTTRASH CANS TORESIDENTS IN BLAINECOUNTY."ONE OF THEBIGGESTCHALLENGES WE'REFACING IN ANYCOMMUNITY THATWANTS TO SWITCHOVER TO BEAR-RESISTANTCONTAINERS ISTHEY'RE QUITE A BITMORE EXPENSIVETHAN WHAT THEYTRADITIONALLYWOULD HAVE."THAT'S WHY THECOALITION ISPLACING ANEMPHASIS ONCHANGING HUMANBEHAVIOR BYEDUCATING THEIRNEIGHBORS."EDUCATIONOUTREACH IS GOINGTO DO A LOT FORKEEPING US ALLSAFE, AND THEWILDLIFE WILD."BUT THEY SAY THEYCAN'T DO IT ALONE."IT'S GOING TO TAKEA COMMUNITYBASED, HOLISTICAPPROACH TO THIS."THE COALITION SAYSTHEY'RE WORKINGON A WEBSITE WITHMORE INFORMATIONAND IT SHOULD BEAVAILABLE SOON.NATASHA WILLIAMS...IDAHO NEWS 6.FISH AND GAME HAS
