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State game warden and USDA brief trustees on BearWise steps as residents report repeated sightings
Summary
Vermont Fish & Wildlife game warden and a USDA wildlife biologist described the BearWise partnership, reporting tools, primary attractants (garbage, bird feeders, compost), deterrent loan programs and site visits; numerous residents reported multiple daytime sightings and asked the town to pursue bear-resistant public containers and a coordinated trash-hauler solution.
Vermont Fish & Wildlife game warden Chris Floriani and a USDA wildlife biologist (self-identified in the presentation) told trustees about a BearWise partnership launched in late 2024 to help towns reduce human–bear conflicts. The presenters said residents should report sightings on the Fish & Wildlife website so the agencies receive immediate notice and can coordinate responses. They outlined common attractants — garbage (about half of reports), bird feeders, compost and chickens — and described low-cost and loaner deterrents (electric fencing, mats, noise deterrents) available to residents.
Multiple residents described repeated daytime sightings in College Hill and other neighborhoods and urged the town to negotiate with Casella (the hauler mentioned in comments) about bear-resistant containers. Residents reported specific incidents (a bear on a back deck, trash cans torn open, and daytime visits) and said they no longer felt comfortable walking in certain parks. The game warden and USDA biologist emphasized that when bears become food-conditioned, relocation is not an effective management approach in Vermont and that euthanasia may be used in the rare instances of property invasion that pose immediate danger; they recommended securing attractants as the primary prevention strategy.
