Don't feed the bears - Recycle!

  • Published
  • By Mike Spaits
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Recent bear sightings in the Eglin family housing area has some residents concerned, and while it may sound cliché', the old saying "Don't feed the bears" is the rule to live by.

On Nov. 14th, there's a townhall meeting to present methods housing residents can implement to keep bears from loitering for food. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will have experts from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, as well as housing and civil engineer leadership to discuss ways to keep bears from loitering for food.

Many base housing residents are unaware they're acting as the bear's personal catering service until it's too late - after the bears have raided base housing garbage cans for tasty leftovers.

Soon, Poquito Bayou residents will have new trash cans equipped with "bear proof" latches to help deter the leftover thieves from trashing base housing areas.

"The new cans are proven to be very effective keeping the bears out the trash, but we need the residents to use the latches properly," said Maria Rodriguez, the 96th Civil Engineer Group Stewardship Division Chief.

In addition to using the cans, Rodriguez said families in the housing areas also need to reduce the amount of recyclables that are being thrown away, which will increase their can's trash capacity.

"Eglin is losing more than $400,000 annually through the solid waste stream simply because people aren't taking the time to separate their recyclable materials from the trash," said Michael Vannoy, Eglin's Qualified Recycling Program Manager.

According to Vannoy, recyclable materials including aluminum cans, glass, plastic, white paper, newspaper, magazines and cardboard should be placed into the recycling containers provided to all base housing residents, which will lessen the load on their trash receptacles.

Northwest Florida has seen a surge in Florida black bear movement in and around residential neighborhoods over the past few years and incidents of roaming in urban areas for food have increased.

The main reason for bears 'hanging out in the hood' is simple, according to Dennis Teague, 96th Civil Engineer Group wildlife biologist.

"Florida black bears are opportunistic feeders, meaning when they find an easy food source like a garbage can, they'll just keep returning as long they keep finding food in the cans," said Teague.

Teague suggested anyone living near or on Eglin should be aware of other potential food sources around their property such as bird feeders, pet food bowls and garbage cans.
Even barbeque grills that are not cleaned and left outside may attract bears.

Jackson Guard has brochures available in their lobby to help make local residents aware of the black bear population on Eglin, which is estimated to be approximately 60 to 100 bears. Teague said observing a bear in the wild is a rare occurrence and it can be a unique and rewarding experience if you observe the animal from a safe distance. You can also download most of these brochures from http://myfwc.com/bear/Brochures.htm.

Some of the general tips on handling a bear encounter are:

· Do not feed the bear.
· Never approach the bear.
· Make sure the bear has an escape route.
· Do not run from the bear or make direct eye contact with it. Back up slowly and remain standing upright.
· Act passively. Do not appear threatening.

If you experience a nuisance bear on Eglin property, including family housing, contact security forces at 882-2502. If you live in the surrounding communities, you should contact the FWCC's 24-hour Wildlife Alert Hotline at 1-888-404-FWCC.

For more information on the townhall meeting, contact the environmental division at 882-4437.