Autumn is the time of year when lots of wildlife like bears, moose and bobcats tend to wander into the streets of Jackson. It often leads to conflicts with humans. That’s why a local coalition of government agencies and non-profits called Wild Neighborhoods has created a website.
The group’s spokesman Stacy Noland says they’re encouraging locals to share tips and stories about how to minimize conflicts with wildlife.
“So if they have a best practice for preventing, say for example, birds from flying into windows,” he says, “send us a story, send us a video of what you’ve done on your property to prevent that issue from occurring.”
He says, this time of year, more moose get caught in people’s backyard hammocks and more bears visit trash cans. He says he hopes to get people to share tips and information that they might not share elsewhere.
“When people do have conflicts, especially with bears, in many cases people are not reporting that because there’s a fear that those bears could potentially be relocated or, worst case scenario, euthanized.”
Noland says he’s also encouraging people to use the website to help protect neighborhoods from wildfire. To participate, you can visit wildneighborhoods.org.
