Got a bear in your yard? The problem is people
WOODINVILLE — Meandering through the lush underbrush of Paradise Valley Conservation Area in early May, a black bear made its way toward a favorite snack — the waxy leaves of skunk cabbage.
Oblivious to the trail cam tracking its movements, the bear traveled along a well-worn path toward a dense patch of the plants, many as tall as the creature itself.
Footage from the trail cam shows the bear munching near the edge of the forest, with a clearing visible through the trees. That clearing is Paradise Farm.
Located on a 793-acre conservation area, black bears, bobcats and coyotes are a common sight at the farm. The 30-acre property is skirted by a wildlife corridor, a path forged by animals and commonly used by black bears to reach patches of skunk cabbage or the farm’s century-old apple orchard.
With beehives and outdoor tanks of catfish used in their aquaponics system nearby, director Zsofia Pasztor said the farm is a “sitting sushi bar for bears.”
But Pasztor believes it’s possible to coexist with the wildlife that calls Paradise Valley home. She’s working with the Snohomish County Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department and a group of passionate volunteers to establish Paradise Farm as a demonstration for farming safely with predators.
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While laying out plans for the farm, they spotted black bears frolicking in the field they had slated as a location for hoop houses.
That’s when Farmer Frog’s Wildlife Program Director Jane Hutchinson launched the “Bear With Me” Wildlife Friendly Farming Program, with the goal of spreading awareness on ways to keep bears at bay.
At Paradise Farm, a combination of bear dogs, fencing and trail-camera monitoring do the trick.
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