Bear incidents increase at North Cascades National Park

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

MARBLEMOUNT, Wash. — Bear incidents are on the rise at the North Cascades National Park and wildlife officials are out on trails warning hikers and campers.

"We are reliant on the public to provide those different encounters — and what we have seen in previous years of one to two times a year, we are seeing encounters one to two times a week," said National Park Service Ranger Katy Hooper.

Bears are biting into backpacks, water bottles and even fuel containers, Hooper says.

"Bears need a lot of calories and they learn to go get easy calories and if people leave food or attractants out like petroleum products, like water bottles, any food or toiletry items, they see that as an easy way to gather calories," Hooper said.

The National Park Service (NPS) is partnering with the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife to hike popular trails and warn campers. NPS is also bringing in bear-resistant waste cans which are normally not found in the backcountry.

It's important to secure all attractants in bear-resistant containers and keep them outside your tent and away from any campsite, Hooper says.

https://www.king5.com/article/tech/science/environment/bear-incidents-increase-at-north-cascades-national-park/281-d86b53a8-b89c-4c3e-83ee-3c6411c82eec

[shraby]

1. The last thing I'd want to do is have a bear encounter when hiking.

I don't get into the woods anymore, but when my kids were little, I used to put one in a back pack thingy I devised cause they didn't have baby slings then, put the rest in the car and go mushrooming in Michigan. There were no bears then, so I didn't have to worry, just enjoy the day.

Now there are plenty of bears in the northern part of lower Michigan and I wouldn't dare do that now. There is no way with four little children we could go mushrooming.