Electric fencing for bear attractants garners 50% reimbursement program

Here in Montana, many of us live, travel and recreate in bear country. Being “bear aware” here is more a requirement than a recommendation. However, it can be easy to overlook the common bear attractants in our backyards that can become sources of human-bear conflict, especially if you are new to living in landscapes populated by bears.

As grizzly populations slowly return to their historic range, people are encountering them in some areas for the first time in decades. In other areas like Bigfork and the Swan Valley, they’ve never left, along with robust black bear populations. In both cases, if attractants like garbage, bird feeders, grills, livestock feed, and chickens are left unsecured, chances are good that you’re eventually going to be faced with a bear conflict. Conflict with people is a major cause of grizzly bear mortality, reduces human tolerance for the species, and poses risks to human safety. In 2010, Defenders of Wildlife developed the Electric Fencing Incentive Program to address human-bear conflicts. The financial and technical assistance offered through the program helps landowners pay for, set up and maintain electric fencing to secure their livestock, beehives, gardens or anything else that can attract bears. 

In addition, Defenders’ Rockies and Plains program field staff work directly with communities and landowners to improve awareness and implement a variety of conflict reduction measures across five grizzly bear ecosystems: Greater Yellowstone, Northern Continental Divide, Cabinet Yaak, Selkirk and Bitterroot. Our Northwest office works with communities in the North Cascades Ecosystem. In addition to individuals and communities, Defenders works with nonprofit organizations, small businesses, and state, federal and tribal agencies to get the work done. 

Defenders’ electric fencing program offers homeowners a way to be proactive before running into conflict with a bear, but also prioritizes areas where bear problems are already occurring. 

Initially, landowners were reimbursed $100 of the cost to install an electric fence around and identified grizzly bear attractant. In 2012, we improved the program to reimburse 50% of the cost of electric fencing around any grizzly bear attractant within priority counties, up to a maximum of $500 per fence. The program also contributes to several large-scale collaborative electric fence projects each year, primarily with commercial livestock producers, that require greater funding resources. We evaluate those larger projects on a case-by-case basis. 

Now in its 14th year, the Electric Fence Incentive Program has a longstanding track record of success. The program continues to expand its reach across grizzly habitat in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and Washington, assisting with the completion of over 670 electric fences. The program has seen a direct reduction in human-bear and other wildlife conflicts at sites with completed, regularly maintained fences. 

To learn more about the Defenders of Wildlife Electric Fence Incentive Program and how you can participate, visit https://defenders.org/got-bears. 

To learn more about living and recreating in bear country, come visit with and learn from bear related professionals at the upcoming Bear Fair on Saturday, July 27, in Ferndale at the Swan River Community from noon to 4pm. 

Swan Valley Bear Resources (SVBR) is a collaborative group that promotes coexistence between humans and bears, who provide resources to the Bigfork and Ferndale communities. SVBR loans out bear-resistant garbage containers for free indefinitely and offers a cost-share program for electric fencing around attractants, such as small livestock and orchards. SVBR provides free property consultations and will design a fence to suit the needs of the landowner and maintain proper specifications to deter grizzly bears. Swan Valley Connections’ trained staff will install the electric fence, free of charge. Call Swan Valley Connections at (406) 754-3137 to learn more about how you can obtain resources made available to you by Swan Valley Bear Resources. To report bear sightings or conflicts, contact Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks’ Bear and Lion Specialist, Erik Wenum, at (406) 250-0062.