SITKA, ALASKA
The idea is to try out centralized garbage collection in Sitka’s Indian River neighborhood. Instead of residents having their own cans, everyone takes their trash to a central location and places them in big, 300-gallon containers that are chained to the ground.

But first, a test: to see if the cans could withstand an onslaught by Chaik and Kilisnoo, two brown bears who reside at Sitka’s Fortress of the Bear.

The can was chained to the ground inside the bears’ habitat, with some fruit and yogurt inside. When the bears were released from their holding room, Chaik and Kilisnoo calmly walked over and nudged it a little. Kilisnoo gave up, but Chaik kept working.

Chaik stood on his hind legs, looking almost human as he used his front paws to push, pull and thrash the can. Some pushing and prying near the rim created a gap big enough to get his snout – and then is whole head – inside.

“The can wasn’t full of garbage,” said Phil Mooney, wildlife biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. “Had they been able to push the edge in and then get garbage as an incentive, then you would have seen a renewed effort to get food out of there.”

Mooney said Chaik and Kilisnoo are bigger than average bears their age.

“Much bigger,” he said. “Chaik is close to 800 pounds. We very rarely get a bear that size in town. So it’s a real good test for that, too. You can see that he could flex the top of the can, and so could Kilisnoo, but he couldn’t get in far enough. Even though they tried to bite it, they couldn’t pull the piece out.”

Mooney is also a member of the city’s bear working group. The group was formed to address the problems Sitka has faced from bears who only seem to be getting more comfortable coming into town.

In 2010 the Sitka Police Department responded to 214 bear calls, and even more the year before, some 240. Those numbers could be because more people are reporting bear sightings, says police Chief Sheldon Schmitt. But regardless, he says the problem needs to be addressed.

“We go on hundreds of calls a year, and they can range from a few minutes – just going by and looking for a bear – or sometimes it can be a lot more significant amount of time,” Schmitt said.

The officials observing Wednesday’s test said it wasn’t perfect and that there are places to strengthen the cans. But the results seemed more fruitful than the last test held here, which was performed on a smaller garbage can – one of the ones individuals might have in front of their house. It was modified with latches to keep the lid closed. The bears made short work of that can, which led the Assembly at the time to make short work of that project.

For this project, the bears clearly showed interest in the cans. But after about 40 minutes of work, they couldn’t get in. In practical application, Harmon says the hope is that the bears learn the can won’t yield food.

“They might come, smell it and be interested in it, but it will be a known factor that they can’t get in it. That’s the goal, and they move on, and they just basically, hopefully, evolve to take that off of their route of interest. You’ll probably have some initial interest in it. That’s what we need to be careful with.”

The next step is to make some minor changes to the weak spots the bears exposed in the can, and to meet with residents of the Indian River neighborhood where this project is set to take place. Members of the bear working group, like Andrew Thoms, hope that those who live where the city wants to try this centralized garbage approach, will see a benefit in participating.

“This has an advantage in that you don’t have to worry about your own garbage can, and keeping it clean, and washing it out with bleach, and what happens if the bear comes in your neighborhood, or the ravens get in it, and then there’s garbage all over the street that’s from your house that you have to clean up or your neighbors have to clean up.”

The bear group meets with neighbors on Friday at 6:30 p.m. at the Fire Hall, and their feedback could be critical to the project’s future.
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