JACKSON, Wyo. — In August 2022, Jackson’s Town Council unanimously approved a new wildlife feeding code that will require bear-resistant trash cans in select parts of the town come spring.
Among an array of new rules, the code will require residential and commercial bear-resistant trash containers or enclosures on the outer edges of town.
“Ultimately we are prohibiting the feeding of wildlife. It’s very harmful to wildlife to feed them as it can spread disease or change their behavior or lead to their [death],” said Tanya Anderson, ecosystem stewardship administrator with the Town of Jackson.
Beginning April 1, residents in the “Bear Conflict Zone” will be required to store their trash in bear-resistant cans or enclosures. Residents are also asked to not “snowcone,” or overfill, their trash containers, that way they can properly close them.
Spring may seem like a distant reality, but the Town of Jackson is urging residents to start planning now so they are ready for when bears emerge from hibernation. Last year, Grand Teton recorded its first grizzly bear sighting on March 13, 2022, on the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway.
Currently, the Town is encouraging neighbors outside the zone to wait to buy bear-resistant trash cans until after April. That way, they are available to everyone in the zone first.
To read further details regarding Jackson’s Wildlife Feeding Regulations and Bear Resistant Trash Can Ordinance click here.
