The mission of Swan Valley Bear Resources (SVBR) is to offer community resources
to promote coexistence between people and bears.
SVBR is a working group formed by a collaborative effort between local non-profit conservation organizations and community members in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks (FWP), U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) and other natural resource entities. The purpose of this collaborative effort is to pool resources, experience and expertise, and to address bear conflicts on private and public property in the Swan Valley.
What we do
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Bear-Resistant Garbage Containers are loaned to local residents as a means to securely store garbage. This program allows community members to check out bear-resistant garbage containers for free on an indefinite basis. Loaner containers for the program are purchased with support from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Grizzly Bear Recovery Program and other funds raised by SVC. Community members may obtain the containers at any time and SVBR uses donations to purchase additional containers for the community.
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Swan Valley Bear Resources (SVBR) assists local landowners in constructing bear resistant fences to temporarily or permanently secure attractants, such as small livestock, orchard trees, gardens, and other bear attractants. We assist with:
• fence design
• technical specifications
• purchase of materials
• securing funding sources
• and hands-on construction of electric fences.
Cost-share fencing projects are completed opportunistically with interested landowners.
MONTANA FISH, WILDLIFE, & PARKS ELECTRIC FENCING BEGINNER’S GUIDE
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The category of "bear attractants" includes bird feeders, garbage, gardens, livestock, orchards, pet foods, and more. A rural lifestyle can create distinct challenges for securing or removing these attractants. We offer free consultations to interested residents to brainstorm ideas to secure attractants before they result in a bear conflict. Unfortunately, conflicts do occur, and we can help with cleaning up attractants, finding temporary or permanent solutions to secure specific bear attractants (bear-resistant containers, electric fencing, etc.), and providing advice so that similar conflicts do not occur in the future.
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We sponsor a number of outreach events to promote public awareness of our mission to reduce human/bear conflicts in the Swan Valley. We publish SVBR Annual Bear News, an annual community report in our fall edition of The Confluence, that highlights current events relating to bears.
We have hosted several different types of community events in the past designed to engage community members and provide a forum to discuss and disseminate information about living with bears. We hold two annual events: the Spring Bear Wake-up Social in April and the Bear Fair in June.
Questions?
Since 2008 we have given out | Since 2011 we have completed
“A month after moving into our new home, we learned that grizzly bears were roaming all over Bigfork - not just in the mountains... I read about the Bear Fair and Spring Bear Wake-Up events, and it was there that we learned about electric fencing, along with the do’s and don’ts of living with bears. We were happy to learn that Swan Valley Connections would come install an electric fence for us. They were thrilled by our being proactive and doing it BEFORE we got chickens. Since then, I’ve referred four neighbors to SVC to inquire about electric fencing for chickens.”
-Peggy Brewer, Bigfork MT
Springtime Bear Awareness Video
Learn about bear behavior and attractants you’ll need to secure as bears emerge from their dens
Bears of the Swan and Beyond Presentation
Hear from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks’ Lori Roberts about the bears in our area
If you have a bear conflict, contact:
FOR EMERGENCIES
DIAL 911
ERIK WENUM
Wildlife Conflict Management Specialist
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, Kalispell (R-1)
cell: 406.250.0062
home office: 406.756.1776
FWP R-1 office: 406.752.5501
JUSTINE VALLIERES
Wildlife Conflict Management Specialist
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, Kalispell (R-1)
cell: 406.250.1265
FWP R-1 office: 406.752.5501
Special thanks to Bear Aware Bigfork, our volunteer arm in Bigfork, Montana and Kathy Koors,
our local bear ranger who visits camp sites to educate visitors about bear awareness.