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Committee urges bear-aware practices, scheduling bear-box certification checks and sanitation workshops
Summary
Members discussed frequent bear sightings and urged residents to request town maintenance to check bear-box certification; the committee plans sanitation workshops and outreach to conference planning teams about living with bears.
Committee members reviewed ongoing bear-related concerns, noting frequent posts on the Montreat Facebook page and requests for clearer guidance. One participant asked the committee to remind conference planning teams "that they're gonna be living with bears, and you do everything you can to keep from feeding bears, like leaving cars unlocked." The group urged residents to request town maintenance to inspect bear boxes and highlighted a broken newsletter link that had hampered reporting.
Staff and committee members said they plan sanitation workshops and hope to start work with a contracted company in October to support certification and maintenance. The discussion emphasized preventative steps — locking cars, securing trash and ensuring properly certified bear boxes — to avoid conditioning bears to seek human food.
