Coexisting with ease; keeping the garden bear-free
Moore’s garden. (Courtesy photo)
My wife and I are big gardeners. When we purchased our property in Bigfork some thirteen years ago, one of the first things we did was identify a site suitable for a large garden, complete with vegetable and flower beds, fruit trees, and composting bins. We live on a heavily wooded property but there was an open area at the rear of our parcel which we deemed perfect. We knew that the site needed to be fenced to keep the deer out but bears were not on our radar when we began planning and laying out the garden space. It was a number of years before we were able to break ground but we put that time to good use.
Like so many new Montana residents moving here from elsewhere, we were naïvely unaware of the strong bear attraction to both compost and fruit trees. Luckily, through the advice of neighbors and Swan Valley Bear Resources (SVBR), we learned of the importance of electrifying our planned fence to keep the bears at bay. We proactively worked with SVBR to design and install the electric component of our fencing in advance of planting and composting. Through Defenders of Wildlife, we were able to recoup 50% of our investment, making the project quite affordable.
That was six years ago and we have had no problems with bears, despite the fact that they routinely frequent our property and the neighborhood at large. Living in harmony with the bears is made easier with the plethora of resources available to homeowners now, many more than when we first moved here. SVBR is foremost amongst them. You can learn more about the collaborative working group and the resources available to all community members on their informative webpage at (www.swanvalleyconnections.org/swan-valley-bear-resources). SVBR will happily do property consultations as well to advise landowners how best to coexist with bears. We worked with SVBR and a number of other local volunteers to create a volunteer group called “Bear Aware Bigfork” (BAB). BAB has been promoting the work of SVBR since 2021, working to foster bear awareness and coexistence in the Bigfork/Ferndale communities.
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