YELLOWSTONE — Yellowstone National Park is working to install bear-proof food storage boxes in all 2,000 frontcountry campsites with the help of Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) crews.
Over the last 10 years, YCC crews and employees have installed over 1,000 bear boxes. With financial support from Yellowstone Forever, the expected completion date of all 2,000 bear boxes is 2026.
“It’s rewarding to help YCC teenagers master new skills like using hand tools, mixing concrete, and team problem solving to place these 400-pound bear boxes. It’s easy to see the tangible results of the crew’s hard work and the intangible growth in confidence that comes from knowing they’ve done something that will help protect visitors and Yellowstone’s wildlife for years to come,” crew leader Sam Archibald said.
Odors attract bears. All food and items will a smell must be stored in bear-proof bear boxes. It is imperative for the survival of bears and for the safety of humans that bears do not receive food rewards of any kind. If a bear receives multiple food rewards, euthanizing the bear may become necessary.
