News Release

Rising Sun Campground made temporarily hard-sided after black bear activity

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News Release Date: August 22, 2019
Contact: For Media Inquiries, 406-888-5838
Contact: For Visitor Inquiries, 406-888-7800

West Glacier, MT – Effective Tuesday, August 20, Rising Sun Campground along the Going-to-the-Sun Road on the east side of the park is temporarily limited to hard-sided camping. This means that tents and soft-sided campers will not be permitted until further notice. Camper vehicles such as VW buses and pickup trucks with small canvas pop-ups are allowed as long as the canvas is not exposed.

On Tuesday afternoon, a black bear clawed and shook a tent, and entered the rainfly vestibule. There were no known attractants or food rewards in the tent. The tent was not occupied.

Berries are abundant at this time of year, and the cliffs above the campground are a known wildlife corridor.

The bear appeared similar to one that found an abandoned picnic near St. Mary Lake on Monday afternoon. It was only minimally responsive to hazing efforts. The park will attempt to capture the bear for further management action.

Once bears have successfully obtained unnatural food from people or become accustomed to foraging in developed areas, it is very difficult to change their behavior to return to wild areas and natural food sources. Bears that have received a human food reward often become a safety hazard, becoming increasingly aggressive seeking out and obtaining subsequent food rewards.

Glacier National Park has a proactive bear management program that seeks to prevent bear/human conflicts through public education, bear-wise waste management, aggressive enforcement of food storage regulations, and application of hazing and aversive conditioning techniques to teach bears to avoid humans and developed areas.

For bear and human safety, visitors and residents are urged to learn more about the importance of food storage while living and recreating in bear country.
 

Tags: glacier national park, rising sun campground, bear, bear management, wildlife management, camping, bear aware, bear safety, food storage

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