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In secret, residents offer alfalfa pellets
County faces difficulty enforcing new wildlife feeding ban.
By Rebecca Huntington
People are surreptitiously violating a county ban on wildlife feeding by dumping pellets on other people's property and in common areas in the Solitude subdivision.
Alfalfa pellets began turning up in Solitude last week in violation of a new county ordinance, which prohibits Teton County citizens from feeding wildlife. Solitude residents called to report the illicit feeding, logging the first complaints under the new ordinance, which took effect this summer, said County Zoning Enforcement Officer Bart Myers.
On Thursday, Myers investigated and confirmed a report that alfalfa pellets had been dumped in the driveway of Solitude residents who were out of town at the time. Pellets also had been dumped at the end of Snake River Drive, which is a common area used by Solitude residents.
"It's pretty obvious that this is supplemental feeding in violation of the ordinance," Myers said Monday.
Finding the culprit, however, could be difficult, he said.
"I don't think anyone foresaw someone feeding on other properties," he said.
But the county is "committed to finding out who is responsible," he said. "The key in this case is neighbors. They're kind of our eyes on this."
Eric Johnson is among Solitude residents concerned about artificial feeding. Giving handouts to wildlife artificially holds deer in Solitude, which has some of the coldest temperatures and deepest snow in the valley and is not natural winter range, he said.
Moreover, some animals are so habituated by feeding, they show no fear of humans, he said. He recalled one instance when he left the house to pick pine cones and had a bag in his hands.
"The animals came to us because they saw the bag," he said. "They're getting used to humans a little too much, looking for handouts."
On Saturday afternoon, Johnson was skiing through the area where pellets had been dumped at the end of Snake River Drive. Most of the pellets dumped earlier in the week were gone, but moose and deer were waiting in the area for another handout, he said.
Though he and his wife skied through the area, another couple behind them took a detour to avoid the moose, he said. When Johnson went out to ski Sunday morning, he discovered a new batch of pellets, he said.
Although the stealth feeding is holding some animals in the area, the 30-some deer and half dozen moose are far less than in previous years when a half dozen Solitude residents put out bushel-loads of feed, he said.
But impacts that were previously contained on private property are now impacting common areas, he said.
"It is just torn up," with pellets, urine, hair and stripped vegetation, he said. "It's like a feedlot."
Johnson credited some wildlife feeders with foregoing the temptation to feed. "I think some of them are making an effort, but they're not going all the way," he said.
The Teton County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the feeding ban last April after contentious county hearings where those who like to feed wildlife squared off against neighbors who disapprove of the practice.
Commissioners approved the ban to protect the health and safety of animals and people. Some Solitude residents testified that feeding deer drew mountain lions into the neighborhood to prey on the artificially high numbers of deer in the area.
During county hearings, supporters of the ban gave multiple accounts of aggressive wildlife charging children and cornering women on porches and snowbanks. Biologists also described black bears that were killed after becoming habituated to human food in Solitude.
Artificial feeding also aids the spread of wildlife diseases, such as brucellosis and tuberculosis, biologists testified.
Opponents of the ban, however, called it a "death sentence" for wildlife, warning that the animals would starve. They also warned that more predators would come into the neighborhood to feed on weakened wildlife.
When the county commission adopted the ban, they overturned a planning commission recommendation not to adopt the ordinance because it would be difficult to enforce.
Myers said Monday that the surreptitious feeding could make the ordinance time-consuming and difficult to enforce. Moreover, the ordinance is unusual for county officers, who are more accustomed to pursuing building violations, such as setbacks, he said. The county does have a memorandum of understanding with Wyoming Game and Fish, which has promised to offer expertise in enforcing the ban.
Respond to this article by e-mailing [email protected]
In secret, residents offer alfalfa pellets
County faces difficulty enforcing new wildlife feeding ban.
By Rebecca Huntington
People are surreptitiously violating a county ban on wildlife feeding by dumping pellets on other people's property and in common areas in the Solitude subdivision.
Alfalfa pellets began turning up in Solitude last week in violation of a new county ordinance, which prohibits Teton County citizens from feeding wildlife. Solitude residents called to report the illicit feeding, logging the first complaints under the new ordinance, which took effect this summer, said County Zoning Enforcement Officer Bart Myers.
On Thursday, Myers investigated and confirmed a report that alfalfa pellets had been dumped in the driveway of Solitude residents who were out of town at the time. Pellets also had been dumped at the end of Snake River Drive, which is a common area used by Solitude residents.
"It's pretty obvious that this is supplemental feeding in violation of the ordinance," Myers said Monday.
Finding the culprit, however, could be difficult, he said.
"I don't think anyone foresaw someone feeding on other properties," he said.
But the county is "committed to finding out who is responsible," he said. "The key in this case is neighbors. They're kind of our eyes on this."
Eric Johnson is among Solitude residents concerned about artificial feeding. Giving handouts to wildlife artificially holds deer in Solitude, which has some of the coldest temperatures and deepest snow in the valley and is not natural winter range, he said.
Moreover, some animals are so habituated by feeding, they show no fear of humans, he said. He recalled one instance when he left the house to pick pine cones and had a bag in his hands.
"The animals came to us because they saw the bag," he said. "They're getting used to humans a little too much, looking for handouts."
On Saturday afternoon, Johnson was skiing through the area where pellets had been dumped at the end of Snake River Drive. Most of the pellets dumped earlier in the week were gone, but moose and deer were waiting in the area for another handout, he said.
Though he and his wife skied through the area, another couple behind them took a detour to avoid the moose, he said. When Johnson went out to ski Sunday morning, he discovered a new batch of pellets, he said.
Although the stealth feeding is holding some animals in the area, the 30-some deer and half dozen moose are far less than in previous years when a half dozen Solitude residents put out bushel-loads of feed, he said.
But impacts that were previously contained on private property are now impacting common areas, he said.
"It is just torn up," with pellets, urine, hair and stripped vegetation, he said. "It's like a feedlot."
Johnson credited some wildlife feeders with foregoing the temptation to feed. "I think some of them are making an effort, but they're not going all the way," he said.
The Teton County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the feeding ban last April after contentious county hearings where those who like to feed wildlife squared off against neighbors who disapprove of the practice.
Commissioners approved the ban to protect the health and safety of animals and people. Some Solitude residents testified that feeding deer drew mountain lions into the neighborhood to prey on the artificially high numbers of deer in the area.
During county hearings, supporters of the ban gave multiple accounts of aggressive wildlife charging children and cornering women on porches and snowbanks. Biologists also described black bears that were killed after becoming habituated to human food in Solitude.
Artificial feeding also aids the spread of wildlife diseases, such as brucellosis and tuberculosis, biologists testified.
Opponents of the ban, however, called it a "death sentence" for wildlife, warning that the animals would starve. They also warned that more predators would come into the neighborhood to feed on weakened wildlife.
When the county commission adopted the ban, they overturned a planning commission recommendation not to adopt the ordinance because it would be difficult to enforce.
Myers said Monday that the surreptitious feeding could make the ordinance time-consuming and difficult to enforce. Moreover, the ordinance is unusual for county officers, who are more accustomed to pursuing building violations, such as setbacks, he said. The county does have a memorandum of understanding with Wyoming Game and Fish, which has promised to offer expertise in enforcing the ban.
Respond to this article by e-mailing [email protected]
