The Kodiak Island Borough Assembly will have a regular meeting tonight and a group of local residents concerned about bears in residential areas plans to show up in force to testify to the need for borough intervention and action to keep bears and people safe.
KMXT’s Maggie Wall reports.
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The recent killing of three bears in Kodiak residential areas has prompted a number of local residents to ask the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly to step up to help the community be more bear aware.
First off, organizer Bill Tucker says there is no bear problem. What Kodiak has is a people problem that is causing bears to habituate to visiting residential areas because a small percentage of locals don’t keep their garbage under control and don’t lock dumpsters.
The plan, says Tucker, is for people who care about bears to attend or call into tonight’s meeting with their suggestions and concerns about local bear problems.
“So we want to try to figure out what we can do to help or guide the borough assembly or tell them our thoughts, or whatever, about how we think we can resolve this and what some of the issues might be.
“And so we’ve talked about it in small groups and got it out on bear aware and we’ve been on the news and channel 11. Once statewide, so we’re just trying to get the assembly to listen to the community and so that they know how the community feels when they move forward with some of these issues.”
As the retired head of the borough’s Engineering and Public Facilities Department, where he dealt with bears at the land fill, Tucker got a thorough education on bear behavior near garbage.
Tucker was our guest on this week’s “Talk of the Rock” program where he discussed concerns about bear issues and what he and his group are calling Bear Aware. He says Kodiak residents are very much interested in protecting both the bears and the people who live with them.
“Though I think there was five of us that connected on Facebook through messenger and started talking about what we wanted to do and how we wanted to do it. And then once we I put it on an engine On bear aware to the meeting, I think we now have 75 people either interested or going or between the two. So we’ll see who shows up. But we turned into a bigger picture that I don’t know everybody involved now.
This evening’s meeting holds an excellent example of what Tucker means by the borough assembly’s actions having a big impact on bears.
An ordinance for introduction includes what’s referred to as UMAT, which stands for Uniform Minor Offense Table. What it does is allow the borough to set fines and fees for various infractions within the borough. Essentially giving local ordinances some teeth.
Tucker said that his group would like to ensure that fines are reasonable for things that lead to bear problems, things such as not securing a dumpster or leaving garbage out that draws in bears, and that people who are attracting bears get fined.
Tucker: “If they implement that and don’t have What’s needed in it? It’s not going to do much good.”
Wall: “Implement in terms of what’s needed to keep the bears?”
Tucker: “Right. Yeah, I mean, right now it, it appears to be that they’re going to implement pieces that will they will be able to find you if you didn’t dispose of your garbage correctly at a dumpster. But I don’t think they’re going to be able to find you if you don’t take care of your garbage at your residence.”
He said he’d like to for people to offer suggestions for amendments or things to consider now, so that the UMAT ordinance can incorporate residents’ concerns before it is approved and becomes law at a future meeting.
Tucker said another thing his group would like the borough to help with some of the group’s other suggestions including.
- getting data from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game on whether a longer road system bear hunt would result in more bears taken and fewer around town;
- set up programs to ensure new people to town understand the local bear population and how to behave if they encounter a bear;
- phase in some of the new bear proof containers before the new waste management contract takes effect on July 1, possibly preventing some young bears from being habituated this summer.
“I think if we do this right, we can not kill any bears next year.”
Tonight’s assembly meeting begins at 6:30 in the Assembly Chambers.
Though there is no specific public hearing for bear issues tonight, Tucker said people can share their comments and concerns with the assembly during two Public Comment periods, one near the beginning and one near the end of the meeting. The public is allowed three minutes to speak on any topic they would like.
He also noted that the assembly takes comments by phone and by emails.
As usual KMXT will broadcast this evening’s assembly meeting live.
