Dear Editor,
The picture below shows a truckload (the second) of apples being dumped at the East Nusatsum Forest Service Road, and again demonstrates the lack of consideration by some individuals towards other Valley residents and wildlife.
This is a frequently traveled road leading to the Medby Rock trail, which is used by various groups for recreational purposes on an almost daily basis. As you can imagine, it did not take long for a sub-adult Grizzly bear to get into these apples, and the possibility now exists that trail users may be at risk of encountering a hungry bear.
On top of that, the bear won't know the difference between the apples on East Nusatsum Forest Service Road or any apples in people’s back yard in the Valley. This will lead to the bear now being labelled as a so-called “problem bear,” where clearly the problem was caused by humans. Luckily the apples have since been removed.
You showed good intentions by removing the apples from your yard. However, if you need to dump your apples in the future, please make a real effort and drive them to the dump or call the Agricultural Society Community Harvest Gleaning Project for help to remove your excess fruit properly. They can be reached at 250 799 5287.
Sincerely,Markus Schieck