The bear up there

By JIM MANN

Kalispell neighborhood had unexpected visitor Thursday

The Daily Inter Lake

A hefty black bear lost its bearings Thursday, wandering well into Kalispell before getting treed and captured near Russell School.

The bear apparently came to town from the west, at one point walking by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks regional headquarters on Meridian Road.

"One of our employees coming to work this morning saw it right near the parking lot," said John Fraley, the department's information officer. "It was almost like he was visiting us or something."

The bear continued toward the county fairgrounds and the neighborhood near Russell School.

"We got a couple calls just before 7 this morning about a black bear in that general neighborhood," said Kalispell police Chief Frank Garner. "One lady was about to go out and walk her dog, and was shocked to see a bear walking down the road. That cut her walk short."

The first call came from a newspaper carrier on Rosewood Drive at about 5:45 a.m. The bear loped off into the trees to the east.

Police officers responded, herding the bear until it eventually sought safety in a tree. State bear management specialist Tim Manley arrived soon after, shooting the bear with a tranquilizer dart.

The bear slumped in a crook of the tree, about 15 feet above the ground. Using a neighbor's ladder and a rope, Manley and police officers lowered the bear and put it into a mobile culvert trap.

The bear was an adult male, weighing about 200 pounds, with no history of management problems. It was transported to a forested area west of Kalispell and released in good condition.

"No humans or bears were harmed in the filming of this event," Garner quipped.

"It was really a smooth operation," Fraley said. "The Kalispell police were great. They are getting to be experts at this."

Several bears have turned up in the interior of Kalispell in recent years, typically in the fall, with similar results.

State wildlife managers say bears that roam into lower elevations often follow food-rich riparian areas, mostly along river corridors, and that often leads to populated areas. One wrong turn and they find themselves in a strange neighborhood.

Huckleberry crops have been drying up at higher elevations, prompting bears to move to lower elevations for food. Manley has seen a sudden increase in bear reports just during the past week.

He urges property owners to bring in bird feeders, clean up fruit below trees, and secure garbage and other potential bear attractants.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com.