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SUNNY Temp: 60 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Thursday, August 28, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine Joy Magazine Tempo A & E RogueValleyAutoFinder RogueValleyHomeFinder Real Estate Showcase Wellness Connection Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Employment Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend August 7, 2003 Outdoors State wildlife biologists warn firefighters not to feed bears By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune Firefighters battling Oregon’s wildfires now are being asked not to make a mess of the woods, waters and wildlife they are protecting. Advertisement Crews summoned to fire camps now will be given a new flier asking them not to wash or urinate in streams, to bury their human waste and to refrain from feeding any wildlife — especially black bears. Firefighters battling last year’s massive Biscuit fire, where crews came to southwest Oregon from across the country and even Down Under, were seen committing these and other backwoods gaffes. But biologists say human waste can pollute streams, and even accidentally leaving a sandwich for a bear displaced by fire can ruin the bruin. Bears quickly learn to identify humans with a free meal. They then can begin harassing other firefighters or, eventually, rural landowners who already suffer annually from damage caused by hungry bears dialing in on humans for food, biologists say. This chain of events has caused massive headaches for decades among campers along the Rogue River’s wild and scenic stretch. State wildlife biologists don’t want a similar problem in the aftermath of wildfire suppression. "To me, all it takes is one incident to become a huge problem," says Ron Anglin, the wildlife division administrator for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. "We have to deal with the realities of what fed bears can do. We wind up very quickly in a human-safety issue." The flier, finalized Tuesday, is the ODFW’s attempt to curb the enthusiasm of bear-feeding by firefighters. It especially targets out-of-state firefighters who may have never seen wild black bears nor realize the pitfalls of feeding them, says Meghan Collins, and ODFW information specialist who wrote the flier. Collins sent electronic copies of the flier Tuesday to the Oregon Department of Forestry and the U.S. Forest Service — the two agencies that oversee most wildfire suppression in Oregon. Collins requests the agencies’ fire bosses give the flier to every firefighter entering camp and to reinforce its message during regular crew meetings. That’s fine with Bill Blackwell, a Siskiyou National Forest biologist who rode herd on the offending firefighters in the 465,000-acre Biscuit Fire on Forest Service land last year. Once Blackwell learned of a few of the bear-feeding instances, he quickly began preaching the don’t-feed-the-bears mantra to firefighters whenever he had the chance, he says. "Biscuit was so crazy," Blackwell says. "If I had it to do all over again, I’d have been telling people that when they first arrived. I’m glad (the ODFW) is doing that." The stakes are high for both bears and people. Once they connect humans with food, bears rarely shake that association and can actually teach their offspring their tricks. Therefore, the ODFW has to kill problem bears because relocating them often simply shifts the damage from one area to another. The agency drums this "a fed bear is a dead bear" message into rural landowners regularly, imploring them to reduce outside food sources that can lure bruins. But a backwoods bear whose first encounter with a human is getting cookies from a firefighter’s backpack sports a unique problem. "In that situation, it’s real easy for someone to get hurt," Anglin says "What a bear might consider a love tap, to us, would be a blow from a paw with sharp claws." Others are as equally concerned about seeing any harm to those paws and claws. Conservation groups like the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center say there never is a wrong time to remind everyone from the third-generation backwoods resident to the visiting Australian firefighter that feeding bears is bad. Spencer Lennard, the group’s program director, believes that firefighters’ food is akin to "bait" that invites problems. But often the bear pays the ultimate sacrifice simply for following its nose. "Obviously, the more we bait in these critters, the more likely they are to become problems, and most of those bears end up killed," says Lennard, an avid backpacker from Williams. "So I totally appreciate what they’re doing with the firefighters. "It’s all about education," he says. The firefighter tips also are the same commandments preached annually to rafters, backpackers and campers in bear-rich southwest Oregon. The flier encourages firefighters to put all leftover food, garbage and toiletry items in bear-proof cans or tightly sealed bags. It also gives tips on what firefighters should do if they cross paths with a bear or a cougar in the woods. They should stay calm and back away from the bear while speaking to it and avoiding direct eye contact. If on a trail, step off and head downhill, and don’t run or make any sudden movements. Also, avoid any cubs, and never get between a sow and her cubs. Firefighters are also told not to approach any bear or cougar,. If attacked, fight back and try to remain standing because the animals, especially cougars, will try to bite the head or neck of its prey. Further tips ask crews to set up their camps at least 200 feet from a waterway and not to use waterways "as latrines." Like campers and hikers, firefighters should bury human waste at least a foot deep and at least 200 feet from water. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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