Kodiak Assembly to weigh $300,000 for landfill fence after state says bears are getting in

The Kodiak Island Borough Assembly is set Thursday to introduce an ordinance that would put $300,000 toward a new perimeter fence at the borough landfill, where state agencies say the electric fence meant to keep bears out is no longer doing the job.

In July, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation told the borough its landfill was out of compliance with a state rule requiring that bears be kept out. Two days after the state approved the borough's bear management plan, borough staff alerted the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to a large sow and cubs frequently seen at the landfill's baler facility. Three days after that, the department told the borough the fence was no longer effective and that "little meaningful progress" had been made on gaps and holes since repairs the year before, according to a borough timeline.

The borough looked at other options. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service estimated $600,000 to $700,000 a year for wildlife management services. A Wind River Bear Institute proposal would have used dogs to chase bears away from the active part of the landfill for $39,900 over 14 days. In August, the conservation group Defenders of Wildlife agreed to supply materials for about 2,845 feet of fence around the waste cell, but not the installation, which the borough estimated at $250,000 to $350,000.

In September, staff installed a temporary interior electric fence around the active part of the landfill, Administrative Official Seema Garoutte reported. By Oct. 8, the first section of a temporary fence had been installed and energized, borough records show. Work has also begun on moving parts of the permanent exterior fence closer to the maintenance road, Borough Manager Aimee Williams reported Oct. 1.

The $300,000 would come from the borough's solid waste fund. The staff report does not say whether it would pay to install the donated materials, move the exterior fence, or both. The ordinance would get a public hearing at the Assembly's next regular meeting.

At the Assembly's Oct. 1 meeting, Assembly Member Jeremiah Gardner cited recent close bear encounters and called for a proactive bear management strategy. Assembly Member Steven Ames said a poor berry harvest is driving more bear activity.