Washington State Black Bears are emerging from their Dens...Essential to take down your bird feeders to keep these hungry Bears out of your residential neighborhoods and maintain the peace between human and Bear..............It all comes down to food..........and Garbage disposal for coexistance with wild creatures to become a reality.......

Black Bears in Washington: Black bears are waking from their winter naps and soon will be foraging. Here are some tips for keeping the bears at bay.

By Annie Archer

So spring is here, trees are opening their leaf buds, bulbs are sending up shoots and the birds are heading for the feeders people so thoughtfully provide. You may want to rethink that practice. Consider this: animals much larger than birds are gorging on that seed. For black bears just waking after a long winter's nap, bird feeders are an easy, nutritional snack."The calories they can get from a bird feeder can last them five to six hours, for a meal they can get in five minutes," said Rich Beausoleil, cougar and bear specialist with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. "If I could do anything it would be to get bird feeders out of people's yards."
It's a common misconception that migrating birds need the seed, Beausoleil said. The birds need the seed during fall and winter when the bears aren't around. In spring there are plenty of natural foods for birds to snack on as plants send out new growth and berries."We put out those feeders because we want to see the birds," he said. "Well, if you're getting bears in your yard it's because you're doing something wrong, like putting out seed and hummingbird feeders."
Bears lose half their body weight as they snooze most of the winter away. Come spring, they head out to forage, having only five months to pack on enough weight to see them through to the following spring, Beausoleil said.
If a bear does wander into a residential area, the best recourse is to stay far away from the animal and clap your hands or blow a whistle."It'll scare the hell out of them. Those are very human sounds, foreign to a bear," Beausoleil said.
If that doesn't get rid of them, call 911, he suggested.
Here is a list of bear facts from WDFW:
Bear Encounters
Bears tend to avoid humans. However, human-habituated bears are bears that, because of prolonged exposure to people, have lost their natural fear or wariness around people. Human-food-conditioned bears are those that associate people with food. Such bears can become aggressive in their pursuit of a meal.
Do everything you can to avoid an encounter with any bear. Prevention is the best advice. If you are recreating in bear country, always remember: Never travel alone, keep small children near you at all times, and always make your presence known—simply talking will do the trick. Most experts recommend carrying pepper spray when recreating in areas of high bear density. A pepper spray that has pepper content between 1.3 percent and 2 percent can be an effective deterrent to an aggressive bear if it is sprayed directly into the bear's face within 6 to 10 feet.
Here are tips should you come in close contact with a bear:

• Stop, remain calm, and assess the situation. If the bear seems unaware of you, move away quietly when it's not looking in your direction. Continue to observe the animal as you retreat, watching for changes in its behavior.
• If a bear walks toward you, identify yourself as a human by standing up, waving your hands above your head and talking to the bear in a low voice. (Don't use the word bear because a human-food-conditioned bear might associate "bear" with food. People feeding bears often say, "Here, bear."
• Don't throw anything at the bear and avoid direct eye contact, which the bear could interpret as a threat or a challenge.
• If you cannot safely move away from the bear or the bear continues toward you, scare it away by clapping your hands, stomping your feet, yelling and staring the animal in the eyes. If you are in a group, stand shoulder-to shoulder and raise and wave your arms to appear intimidating. The more it persists, the more aggressive your response should be. If you have pepper spray, use it.
• Don't run from the bear unless safety is very near and you are absolutely certain you can reach it (knowing that bears can run 35 mph). Climbing a tree is generally not recommended as an escape from an aggressive black bear, as black bears are adept climbers and may follow you up a tree.

Bear Attacks

• In the unlikely event a black bear attacks you (where actual contact is made), fight back aggressively using your hands, feet, legs and any object you can reach. Aim for the eyes or spray pepper spray into the bear's face.

Preventing Conflicts

• State wildlife offices receive hundreds of black bear complaints each year regarding urban sightings, property damage, attacks on livestock and bear/human confrontations.
• The top reason for conflict (95 percent of the calls to offices) is the result of irresponsibility on the part of people: Access to trash, pet food, bird feeders, and improper storage of food while camping make up the majority of the calls.
• Secondarily, young bears (especially young males) are not tolerated by adult bears and they wander into areas occupied by humans. Food may also be scarce in some years—a late spring and poor forage conditions may be followed by a poor berry crop, causing bears to seek food where they ordinarily would not.
• If you live in areas where black bears are seen, use the following management strategies around your property to prevent conflicts:
• Don't feed bears. Often people leave food out for bears so they can take pictures of them or show them to visiting friends. More than 90 percent of bear/human conflicts result from bears being conditioned to associate food with humans. A wild bear can become permanently food-conditioned after only one handout experience. The sad reality is that these bears will likely die, being killed by someone protecting their property, or by a wildlife manager having to remove a potentially dangerous bear
• .
• Manage your garbage. Bears will expend a great amount of time and energy digging under, breaking down, or crawling over barriers to get food, including garbage. If you have a pickup service, put garbage out shortly before the truck arrives—not the night before. If you're leaving several days before pickup, haul your garbage to a dump. If necessary, frequently haul your garbage to a dumpsite to avoid odors.
• Keep garbage cans with tight-fitting lids in a shed, garage or fenced area. Spray garbage cans and dumpsters regularly with disinfectants to reduce odors. Keep fish parts and meat waste in your freezer until they can be disposed of properly.
• If bears are common in your area, consider investing in a commercially available bear-proof garbage container. Ask a local public park about availability or search the Internet for vendors.