Town staff reports progress, ongoing compliance gaps in bear‑resistant trash rollout

Town staff briefed Jackson Town Council on Feb. 8 about implementation progress and challenges since the town's supplemental wildlife feeding and bear‑resistant trash ordinances took effect on April 1, 2023.

Tanya Anderson, the town's ecosystem stewardship administrator, told council that the ordinances target several types of wildlife attractants (trash, bird feeders, fruit trees, etc.) and require bear‑resistant trash containers within a mapped "bear conflict zone." Anderson said the zone was drawn using 2011–2021 conflict data and that the town started the rollout in the most heavily impacted neighborhoods because haulers and vendors had limited capacity to swap containers county‑wide all at once.

Staff reported the following key metrics and findings for 2023–2024:

- Bear conflicts in town: 2023 had four black‑bear conflicts and 0 grizzly conflicts; 2024 had two black‑bear conflicts. Two of the 2023 incidents occurred outside the designated zone. - Primary attractant: Roughly 127 of 168 regional conflicts tracked by Game and Fish were related to trash; town conflicts track that pattern. - Compliance: Staff estimated about a 73% compliance rate among households required to have bear‑resistant containers (an increase from last year but short of the town's target). Complaints filed with code enforcement rose from five last year to 24 this year; some reports covered multiple addresses. - Supply and cost issues: Smaller household roll‑out cans are largely available now, but certified dumpsters remain in short supply. Anderson said buying a truckload of 300 cans can approach six figures for a hauler, and smaller monthly service charges spread that cost over years. She also said damaged locking mechanisms and misuse/overfilling remain operational problems.

Anderson highlighted several program elements and partnerships: Bearwise Jackson Hole and the nonprofit Jackson Hole Bear Solutions (which has distributed about 1,300 bear‑resistant cans in the town and county, roughly 15% within the town) provide education and some direct can distribution; the Teton Conservation District and the Travel and Tourism Board provided funding to convert downtown public cans and bins. Last year the town installed 11 bear‑resistant cans and two recycling bins downtown with Traveler/Tourism funding; Anderson said an additional $80,000 in funding is secured to continue downtown conversion.

Among enforcement and outreach challenges, staff said vacation rentals, partial‑year residents and employee housing create difficulty in identifying the responsible party for compliance; turnover and new residents can result in newly noncompliant locations. Anderson said Cache Creek had the highest compliance after targeted outreach in that neighborhood and cited a positive anecdote: a grizzly sow and cub that entered town in the fall left without obtaining food after encountering a bear‑resistant container, which staff called a success case.

Policy and next steps: Anderson said staff does not recommend immediate expansion of the bear conflict zone this year; instead, the town will continue the current rollout, complete conversion of town‑owned public cans, expand education and consider attractants beyond trash (ornamental fruit trees, bird feeders). Waste‑hauler franchise agreements now require haulers to provide certified bear‑resistant containers to properties inside the conflict zone. Anderson also noted the town could phase future zone expansions over years (e.g., a study‑and‑rollout plan that provides months or years of notice to affected households).

Council discussion covered metrics of success (reducing human‑wildlife conflicts and avoiding human injury), comparisons to other mountain towns (Durango was cited as an earlier adopter of similar measures) and operational details (availability of certified 65‑ and 95‑gallon cans and the nonprofit role in repairs). Councilmembers asked staff to explore GIS visibility for the zone and to consider realtor outreach so prospective buyers and renters know whether a property lies inside the zone.

Public comment: Alicia Cox, executive director of Yellowstone Teton Clean Cities, spoke online and told council the coalition supports staff recommendations and noted that equitable price ranges for level‑2 charging and programs targeting multi‑unit dwellings can complement public charging and other sustainability efforts.