2008-2010 Black Bear Management Program Report
Manson D and Happe P. 2011. 2008-2010 Black Bear Management Program Report. Olympic National Park, Port Angeles, WA
This report summarizes three years of bear observations and management in Olympic National Park. In 2008, 477 observations were reported; 20 of those observations were incidents, however none involved a bear getting food or damaging gear. In 2009 there were 464 observations reported of which 26 were incidents. Two incidents in 2009 involved a bear entering a tent and one of a bear being fed from a vehickle, however all three of these incidents were reported with limited information or as a second hand report so no follow-up was possible. In 2010 there was a similar number of observations reported (477) however the number of incidents increased to 54. This is double the number of reports of any year to date. The majority of the increase was due to repeated re-occurrences of a sow with 2 cubs and a sow with 1 cub spending a large portion of the summer in the Glacier Meadows campground (41 incidents). There also were two incidents of a bear destroying gear; one bear broke into a privy container and another bear broke into a bear vault with food in it and chewed up chainsaw gas/oil caps and the chaps.
- Type
- Unpublished Report
- Authors
- Manson, Dave; Happe, Patti
- Date of Issue
- 2011
- Units
- OLYM
- Keywords
- Black Bear (Ursus americanus), Management, nuisance animal, Observations, Olylmpic National Park