After a mother bear and two cubs began visiting the town garage dumpsters, Mount Desert is moving quickly to break the habit.

Carrie Jones

just now

The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Witham Family Hotels.

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MOUNT DESERT— The fate of the three dumpsters at the Mount Desert Town Garage has taken a backseat to what Town Manager Alex Kimball describes as a more pressing matter: a mother bear and her two cubs.

“For at least the past two nights, a mother bear and her two cubs have been spotted at the dumpsters at the town garage,” Kimball wrote in a September 29 email. “They are definitely feeding at the dumpsters, and will almost certainly keep coming back as long as the food source is available to them.”

Earlier in September, a mother bear and two cubs had been spotted in multiple areas in Mount Desert, prompting the town to send out a news flash, writing, “as fall approaches, black bears are more active in areas of the Town of Mount Desert. Bears are searching for food to prepare for winter, and household garbage is a major attractant. We have received reports that bears have been spotted on ​Beech Hill Cross Road, Ripples Road, and Pretty Marsh.”​

Now, a family of bears has been hanging out at the town garage, a place which has been in the news lately as the town tries to determine the best course of action for the three dumpsters located there that have been determined to be an insurance liability.

Household trash is often an attractant to the bears.

“They appear to be somewhat bold already, and are ignoring wildlife deterrents already in place. We need to stop this behavior immediately in order to keep them from becoming any more acclimated to the area. While it is possible that this is the same trio seen in the Somesville-Beech Hill area recently, there is no way to know for sure,” Kimball explained.

The town will be placing temporary barricades in front of the garage’s entryways as well as signs explaining why those barricades are there.

The signs, Kimball said, will also be “pleading with people to stop dropping off their trash at the location. This will need to be in place at least until we stop having bear sightings at a minimum. If we do not take these steps immediately, the area will be an enormous hazard to both the bears and the residents. The Town of Mount Desert can’t possibly more strongly request of residents to NOT dump any trash at the location after hours. If they do so, they are reinforcing to the bears that the town garage is in fact still a viable food source.”

There will be no public access to the town garage other than between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m.

“The dumpsters will be removed from the facility at night to reduce the attraction to the bears,” Kimball explained.

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MORE FROM THE TOWN OF MOUNT DESERT

For any residential refuse needs, please call the Public Works Department at 207-276-5743.

Additionally, Mount Desert residents can take household waste to the EMR Transfer Station at 47 Long Pond Road. EMR is open M-F 8:00 a.m – 4:00 p.m. and Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Household waste can be placed in the designated dumpster at EMR. Mount Desert residents do not need to cross the scale to bring household waste to the dumpster.

For the residents of the Town of Mount Desert in general, to help keep our community and wildlife safe:

• Do not place garbage containers out the night before your scheduled pick-up.
• Containers should be brought out in the morning of your scheduled pick-up no later than 7:00 a.m.
• Secure trash indoors or in bear-resistant containers whenever possible.
• Clean grills, bird feeders, and pet food dishes regularly to avoid attracting bears.

Let us all do our part to prevent human-bear conflicts and protect our wildlife. As the bear population on MDI continues to grow, we will all need to adapt to these changing conditions.

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FROM BEAR WISE

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FROM THE MAINE IFW

To prevent conflicts with black bears each spring (April 1-October 1):

• Bring in your bird feeders, rake up and dispose of any seed left on the ground, and store unused seed inside. If you want to continue to feed birds in the spring and summer consider using an electrified mat (MS Word).
• Bring trash to the curb on the morning of trash pickup or use a certified bear resistant container.
• Keep dumpster lids closed and do not allow dumpster to overflow. In areas experiencing bear problems consider storing dumpsters in a secure building or behind electric fencing (MS Word).
• Clean your grills and empty the grease cup after each use. Do not discard grease on the ground. Burn-off any food residue, clean blood and grease dripping, and discard food wrappers.

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LINKS TO LEARN MORE

Bear Information

BearWise

To report a bear sighting in the area.

somesmeynell.org

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