Sally ... The bears in the park actually stay away from people. They are not what we think of as "problem" bears ...
None of them have shown any aggressiveness towards people in the park nor any friendliness. They stay hidden during the day and the town continues to hold functions and concerts in the park with no bear problems. They just come out at night and mess with people's trash ... This has been true for the last 12 years. Of course, they are monitored just in case one of the bears doesn't follow the rules ...
The gate to my fence, along with other fencing does keep the deer out of the house pad garden where I grow my roses. I consider the front of the house to be deer territory and try to grow deer resistant plants in front. I have caged the roses Mrs. J, the previous owner, planted, but I haven't planted any deer candy out there. I have another gate on the other side of the house and a deer fence at the top of the slope behind my house.
Half of my back yard is taken up by a steep slope and the owner of the property above me. The people that own the property are the heirs of the founder that donated the meadow to the town for the park. Their property will also be donated to the town for a community center in the future. So there will be no development above me.
I do have all of the the critters, but I throw my kitchen waste, very little gets wasted, over the cliff because there isn't enough to feed the garden so they can go through the blackberries instead of my garden to dine.
There is a seven foot cliff across the road and the meadow slopes gently all the way down to Main Street.
The slope in my back yard ... the deer go back and forth along the top of the slope:
So far, the squirrels stay in the oaks at the top of the slope, the racoons dine across the road and no rabbits. I do have a fox that passes through and now and then a cougar that passes through, but neither stay around. I have never seen or heard the cat. I've just seen his or her tracks. The fox is a lovely thing to see at night as he drifts like a shadow through the garden and up the slope on his way to another part of the mountain ...
I have heard the coyotes on the other side of town, but not on my side of town ..
More about eatin' bear later ...
I am thankful to have slept late this morning ...
