More bears are visiting Mount Baker-Snoqualmie campgrounds
DARRINGTON — Campgrounds in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest have seen an uptick in bear visits this summer, according to the Forest Service.
Bears have been raiding garbage dumpsters and campsites with left-out food.
The animals generally have fled humans in these cases, Forest Service spokesperson Colton Whitworth said.
With keen senses of smell, the creatures are drawn by incorrectly stored food and trash, Whitworth said.
The Forest Service is now working to retrofit dumpsters at campgrounds so they are bear-proof.
As tempting as it might be, offering food to bears that seem tame is never a good idea, according to the Forest Service.
Bears that begin to associate people with an easy meal become dangerous.
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I remember when we visited Banff 34 years ago they had bear-proof dumpsters. I'm surprised we still don't have them in Washington State.