Special Montreat Minute 6/30/26
Bears, Dogs, and Trash
As you may have noticed, the population of Montreat has been swelling. It is a wonderful part of summer here– seeing old friends, participating in a variety of activities, and lots of porch sitting. However, summer also brings other things: an abundance of trash, bears getting into that trash, dogs barking at and sometimes chasing the bears, and other not so delightful summer occurrences.
Please pay attention to two issues in particular: Dogs off Leash and Unsecure Trash.
Dogs off Leash:
Montreat has a dog leash ordinance that states all dogs must be on a leash and under direct control of their owners. This holds true within Town limits as well as on all MRA trails.
Recently, an incident occurred on Overbrook Lane involving several dogs off leash and a bear. Dr. Scott Lake reported that “two off-leash dogs chased a black bear onto our property. The frightened bear subsequently caused damage to our house as it desperately tried to escape the dogs.” Besides being unlawful, such situations are dangerous for dogs, bears and humans. Owners of dogs off leash are subject to fines. If you see a dog off leash, contact the Montreat Police Department at the dispatch number 828/250-6670.
Unsecure Trash:
Bears love that the Montreat population swells in the summer. Their natural food source is not fully available, yet they are hungry. Residents’ trash becomes a primary food source for them, and that food source is plentiful. The photo above was taken yesterday. Guests in the house did not secure the trash box adequately. With cubs looking on, the bear spent nearly two hours dining on the trash. Not only was she a safety hazard for people trying to pass by, but it took Town sanitation staff quite a while to clean up her mess.
What causes this to happen?
- Property owners, guests and renters do not adequately secure the lids on trash containers. Sometimes, as in this case, the lid was secure by an inadequate lock. The bear knew how to open it. Padlock clasps on each front edge should be installed with secure locks in place. Clasps alone will not do the job.
- The trash container is full, so bags are placed at the foot of the container, which is also what happened in the situation above. If there is not adequate room to secure trash and recycle, take it to the Convenience Center down by the Town Hall. The Convenience Center is open from 7am to 7pm seven days a week and there is no charge for this service.
- People don’t know what to do with trash. Most Montreat property owners are aware of the bear/trash issues we deal with daily. However, many cottages are occupied by other family members, guests, renters, and others not familiar with the situation. PLEASE INFORM THEM. Write down the procedures and put it on the refrigerator. Because of the carelessness of the guests in the cottage above, the owner received a $150 clean up bill.
Town staff spend an inordinate amount of time dealing with bear-related trash issues. It is not fair to them or other tax payers that staff spend time cleaning up trash because of the carelessness of others.
Beginning October 1, all residents must have approved bear resistant trash containers or storage systems. If incidents such as the above occur, property owners will be fined as much as $400 per incident and the possible loss of sanitation services as well as a clean up fee.
Please help us in this important effort for the sake of the bears and humans.
