Plans to establish a protective fence around the Inuvik landfill continue to evolve while a family of bears was destroyed in late June after being deemed a danger to the community.
Establishing a protective fence was identified as a requirement of the town's water licence in 2017. Plans have been underway to establish a barrier around the landfill ever since.
"The Town of Inuvik is constructing an electrified fence around the Inuvik Solid Waste Facility to help keep wildlife SA国际影视传媒� particularly bears SA国际影视传媒� out of the area and to contain waste," Town of Inuvik senior administrative officer Cynthia Pihlaja stated in a June 26 news release. "This project is a requirement of the water licence issued by the GwichSA国际影视传媒檌n Renewable Resource Board, allowing us to operate the solid waste facility.
"Since this project began in 2017, the town has worked closely in consultation with the GwichSA国际影视传媒檌n Renewable Resource Board, Government of the Northwest Territories SA国际影视传媒� Environment and Climate Change (ECC), Joint Secretariat, Nihtat GwichSA国际影视传媒檌n Renewable Resource, and Inuvik Hunters and Trappers Committee, to plan and mitigate the bear risks," she added.
As a lead up to constructing the fence, Pihlaja said the town started installing bear-proof blue bins around the community and ended curbside garbage pickup. Now that the town's waste collecting system is up to code, the next step is to construct a berm for the fence, which began last winter.
She said pilings for the fence will be installed this fall and once the bears have gone into hibernation, the electric fence will be installed next winter.
"During construction SA国际影视传媒� and even after the fence is in place SA国际影视传媒� some bears may wander into town," she said. "If this happens, ECC will respond as needed, including bringing in additional officers if necessary. Residents and visitors are strongly encouraged to keep the community clean and free of anything that might attract bears. This reduces the risk of bear encounters and helps keep both people and wildlife safe."
After being considered dangerously close to the community, a family of three bears was destroyed in Inuvik between June 19 and 23.
In an unattributed written response to NNSL, ECC implored residents to exercise due diligence with garbage disposal to ensure bears are not enticed to come into town.
"ECC has been working closely with the Town of Inuvik and other regional co-management partners to support efforts aimed at making the community and the solid waste site more bear-proof," the department stated. "ECC has been engaged in the projectSA国际影视传媒檚 progress, and will be prepared for any potential changes in bear behaviour and activity once access to the waste site is restricted.
"It is possible that some bears may wander into town once the fence is in place. If that happens, ECC will respond to any reports in a timely fashion. If the situation requires it, we are prepared to bring in additional officers to be on call and/or provide additional support.
"There is also a chance that any bears in the area will move on and away from the community once access to the site is restricted, especially if no other attractants are left out that could draw them into town. We live in grizzly bear country, and everyone needs to do their part in keeping the community clean and free of attractants. This will help reduce the chances of possible bear encounters, and keep both people and wildlife safe. ECC will have an officer on call 24/7 until bear activity slows down in October."
Anyone who spots a bear in the Inuvik area is asked to phone the wildlife emergency line anytime at (867) 678-0289.
