Hansen urges County to take action in Walker

According to Supervisor Tim Hansen, the bears have taken over the dump in Walker.

“The dump is only open two days a week and when the bear is there, they close it,” Hansen described last week. He had to leave a bag of trash in the back of his truck recently because he had nowhere to take it. Then, he said, a bear was attracted to his truck.

The stories of just how aggressive the bear, or bears [no one knows if it’s one repeat offender or several], is acting haven’t been confirmed, but Hansen was told that one woman had a bag of trash ripped out of her hand by a bear.

Mono County Solid Waste Manager Tony Dublino explained that bears at the landfill have been a nuisance for years.

“The bears are able to get into the compactor, itself,” Dublino told the Board of Supervisors during its meeting last week. “It’s an attractive nuisance because they are able to pull the trash out.”

Dublino said he has been working with State Department of Fish and Game’s Tim Taylor to keep bears out of the compactor with a welded enclosure.

Phase two, if blocking the compactor does not work, would be to place a fence around the compactor. Phase 3 would be an electric fence around the entire perimeter. Of course, as Dublino pointed out, these things cost money.

“There are conflicting stories regarding what is actually happening,” Dublino continued. “I believe DFG can’t issue a permit without the bear touching someone. With no one to substantiate the stories, it’s difficult to justify depredation.”

The Board requested that Dublino contact Mammoth’s Wildlife Specialist Steve Searles. Supervisor Hap Hazard also stated that he was not okay waiting until the bear touches someone before taking action.

“If the bear is aggressive, it needs to be dealt with,” Hazard said.

Dublino said he would contact DFG to get a definitive answer regarding what it takes to issue a depredation permit.

“At least identify the bear to see if it’s a repeat offender,” Hazard said.