Interesting bear can policy for Big Bend National Park

Jennifer you are interpreting their strange answer/policy correctly. As one of the folks who has been in the discussions, both on Big Bend Chat and with the park, it is still confusing and maddening that it is not in print or electronic any where but only in the hard to find superintendents compendium.

Their main concern is food left unattended, either longer term caches or for base campers during the day. Evidently they feel the few bears are not so aggressive that they will actually come into camp when humans are there.

The more pain in the ass part of the policy is that if you are caching food and water, the water also has to be in a bear can. This means multiple bear cans are needed.

For those interested here is the thread on BBC that discusses the new policy in detail

http://www.bigbendchat.com/portal/forum/national-park-news/new-food-and-water-storagecaching-rules/

Alex, do you know if you can just leave water caches in the bear lockers? I planned on leaving water in the lockers at the Dodson trailhead (my brother rides dual sport and drops water there for me…it's AWESOME!)

I assumed that you can…

considering lack of trees to hang from, or tie an ursack too, what they have written are the only sensible possibilities. the only other thing is to leave food unnattended.

"do you know if you can just leave water caches in the bear lockers?"

Yes all the same old rules apply to the lockers at both Homer Wilson and Juniper canyon trailheads, just label with your name and date of pick up.

I couldn't help but think that this policy is important. When you only have three bears, you don't want to have to destroy one because stupid people have fed it too often!

Alex, do you know whether they still have the steel storage lockers at the campsites in the high Chisos? When I was last there in 2007, I believe, there were storage lockers at most of the designated campsites around the high Chisos loop trail. Are they still there? I'm planning a trip there in late February, don't plan on caching food or water, and don't want to carry a bear can. I plan nights at Ventana Meadows and somewhere around Boot Canyon.

Big Bend is not enforcing the bear canister for 2015. They plan to enforce it for the future but do not have set up a canister rental structure yet.

Charles- yes still the same lockers in all the Chisos backcountry sites so no need for a bear can.

Paul- you are correct about minimizing the habituation of bears. Jennifer was exaggerating with 3 bears. The population seems to fluctuate between 20 and 30. If you go and read that thread at Big Bend Chat I posted above, there is discussion about trying to keep them wild and not having to fix it after the fact like Yellowstone or Yosemite. I think most of the posters there begrudgingly agree that keeping food from bears is good. It is the requirement for long term cached water to be in a bear can that makes less sense. But the argument can be made for both bears learning to associate water jugs with food and that if you lose water that you were counting on being there then there is a safety issue too.

Bears need water, just like food, even moreso. In a very dry environment i can see them starting to associate humans with that as well if they have access to it.

"Big Bend is not enforcing the bear canister for 2015. They plan to enforce it for the future but do not have set up a canister rental structure yet."

That is not really clear. There have already been threats of tickets and at least one person was told they thought it would start this month but the official statements from permit issuers has been all over the place. They may start a rental program but you may have to have your own to start. It has been unofficial policy for several years that cached food had to be in a canister (with tickets issued).

I would check with the park before going as it is changing quickly and if nothing else adhere to the closely attended rule and the caching rules. The bookstore has been told it would be good to stock some bear cans for folks to buy but I would bring or rent my own to make sure.

Alex is right. I misspoke what the chief ranger has said last August. At that time it was none needed for remainder of 2014 and wait and see for 2015. Best to ask them outright before trip as you have done.

And my email exchange was a specific reply to bear canister requirements for my trip January 14. She was not at all ambiguous about needing to store food properly for that trip.

And yes, I WAS exaggerating about the three bears. sorry……..

But as someone who has been to Big Bend a few times now, and who is truly amazed at the wildness of it – i think it's a great idea in such a barren place to PREVENT bears from ever associating people and caches with easy-to-get food.

“Though the park biologist believes that the resident population of bears in the Chisos Mountains remains somewhat steady over time, estimating its current number, based on sightings and cameras, to be approximately twenty [June, 2013], he is wary of becoming complacent about the bears who live in the park, given that the “small, suitable habitat of the Chisos is very susceptible to climatic changes. This is going to be a dynamic population. We’re probably mid-way in a rollercoaster ride right now, and it could go either way. Them being here is good: our goal is to keep them here.” “

An interesting article.