JACKSON, Wyo. — On Monday, Feb. 18, Town Council reported an increase in bear-resistant trash container use after a rise in bear conflicts in the valley.
In 2024, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) reported that there were 168 bear conflicts in the area ranging from the southern border of Yellowstone to the Salt River Pass near Afton. The staff report states that the 148 black bear and 20 grizzly bear conflicts were higher than the average of 89 conflicts annually.
According to the WGFD, 127 of the conflicts involved bears accessing garbage and 12 involved a pet, livestock or bird feed. The majority of the conflicts occurred along the West Bank and in Wilson. As a result of the conflicts, 18 bears (16 black bears and two grizzly bears) were captured, resulting in 11 bears relocated and seven euthanized.
According to the Town of Jackson, there were only two bear conflicts in Jackson in 2024, a decrease from 2023, when four black bear conflicts were reported. One bear conflict occurred along Pine Drive, an area within the Bear Conflict Zone, while the other occurred in the Cottonwood subdivision, which is not in the Bear Conflict Zone and where residents are not required to have bear-resistant trash containers.
All bears captured within the Town of Jackson were relocated, including a female with three cubs and a female with one cub. An orphaned cub went to the Idaho Black Bear Rehabilitation and will be released this spring, per the staff report.
“Overall, the number of bear conflicts within Town is much lower than in other parts of Teton County,” Town staff wrote. “However, the risks are also higher due to the Town’s population density.”
Since 2023, the Town of Jackson has taken steps to reduce bear conflicts in Teton County. Residents and commercial properties within the the designated Bear Conflict Zone are required to use bear-resistant trash containers.
Town also took steps to convert trash containers to bear-resistant at mobility hubs, including the Miller Park transit Center, the Home Ranch Parking Lot and the Deloney Parking lot.
In December, Town Council voted to approve the Pay As You Throw ordinance, which requires haulers to provide service for at least two different sizes of bear-resistant trash containers and at least three different frequencies of pickup.
This past month, Town calculated that 73% of residences and businesses within the Bear Conflict Zone have bear-resistant trash containers, staff wrote in the Town report. This is an improvement from the estimated 70% that were in compliance in February 2024. However, compliance varies greatly by neighborhood — the Cache Creek and Upper Cache Creek areas have an estimated 88% compliance rate, Snow King Drive has a 62% compliance rate and Pine, Spruce and Aspen Lanes have an estimated 72% compliance rate.
Despite the slight improvement in compliance, 10 to 20% of bear-resistant cans were not properly closed due to excess trash pushing the lid up or broken locking mechanisms, the staff report said.
JH Bear Solutions, a nonprofit that provides bear-resistant trash containers and repairs broken locking mechanisms, has delivered approximately 1,300 bear-resistant trash containers in Teton County over the past three years.
The Town Sustainability Plan states a target for 100% of Town-owned trash containers to be bear-resistant by 2026, with the goal to expand the Bear Conflict Zone to the entire town by 2030.
