‘Critter Cans' arrive in Harydston Twp.

HARDYSTON-Bears bent on pillage and plunder of Hardyston garbage will be thwarted, for Critter Cans have arrived on the scene. The Hardyston Critter Can program will serve as a pilot for municipalities throughout the rest of the county. This year, Hardyston decided to use remaining 2004 Department of Environmental Protection Clean Communities grant dollars to cover more than half the cost of the bear-proof cans, which normally sell for $50. In 2005, Hardyston will receive $10,966.31; in 2004 the township received a similar amount. More than 600 residents wanted to try the cans, and last week the receptacles they had ordered arrived at the Hardyston Public Works garage at Route 94 and North Church Road. Saturday, April 9, was the day to install the finishing touches on the cans: three handles and a Critter Can label. Director of Public Works Bob Schultz led the process, which begins with drilling holes in the can. "We'll be drilling four holes in the bottom of each can as a safety measure, just in case -God forbid - a child or animal gets trapped inside. Also, the holes help drain the can when it is rinsed," said Schultz. "Next, we'll drill holes the volunteers can use to install two door pulls on each side of the lid and one door pull near the base of the can. The two door pulls on the lid help users screw the can lid tightly. The single handle at the base of the can holds a heavy chain used to secure the can to a tree or post to prevent a bear from rolling it away." The garage was filled with laughter, cries of satisfaction and cheerfully organized chaos, as teams of volunteers operated makeshift assembly lines, with some drilling holes, others installing the handles, and still others affixing the labels to the cans. Gesturing towards a table laden with bagels, cream cheese and other refreshments, Township Manager Marianne Smith said, "We wanted to make this a festive event, and we have." Critter Can distributors Stephen Orosz and his son Michael were on hand to bless the process. "We saw a problem with bears in New Jersey neighborhoods, and we saw a need for an economical solution. All the bear-resistant garbage containers on the market are made of heavy steel and are priced beyond the reach of most families. "We looked around, and we found something we believed might work: these rugged, high-density polyethylene cans. Actually, the cans have gasket seals, and were designed for hazardous waste disposal, but we thought that we could modify them to make them user friendly for residents of communities in bear country. We've sold 900 cans since 2003, and we've had only one report of a bear breaking a lid. We're pretty sure the cans can stand up to New Jersey bears, because they were tested by Yellowstone grizzlies, under the auspices of the Living with Wildlife Foundation. If most 1,000-pound Yellowstone grizzlies can't break into the cans, a modest-sized New Jersey black bear most likely won't succeed." In general, wild male black bears weigh between 125 and 500 pounds, whereas females weigh between 90 and 300 pounds. "The Bear Education and Resource Group here in New Jersey also has tested the Critter Cans successfully." The Eagle Manufacturing Company of Wellsburg, W. Va. makes the 30-gallon cans, which also are available in an array of other sizes. "We wish more municipalities would do what Hardyston is doing," said Susan Stringfield of Highland Lakes, one of the Bear Group volunteers. Stringfield also remarked that garbage-fed bears have a higher reproductive rate than do bears fed on natural foods, because they have a higher fat diet. So keeping bears away from garbage may help cut down the number of bears roaming about the Sussex County. Stringfield noted that when smelly garbage entices bears to hang around residential areas, they sometimes have to be tranquilized and removed. Bear-removal operations are stressful and unhealthful for the bear, and they are a drag on limited community resources. With Critter Cans widely in use in a neighborhood, proponents of the program say, the bears tend to give up their garbage-foraging habits, and go back into the forest to eat bear-appropriate foods, such as nuts, berries, leaves and roots. The Bear Group is a volunteer organization founded in 1992 to educate the public and to promote peaceful co-existence between humans and black bears in northern New Jersey. To find out more about this group, visit the Web site at savenjbears.com Meg Brinster, Tiger Den Mother of Hardyston Troop 298, was hard at work supervising 12 enthusiastic boys as they affixed labels to the cans. This volunteer work was part of the boys' effort to earn their community service badge. Some parents and brothers and sisters also were joining in the effort. "Sometimes we have lots of bears at our house because we have great garbage," said Travis Henderson, age 9, who with his Tiger Cub Den brothers, was busy labeling cans. "Bears certainly cause major littering problems when they raid garbage cans and strew the paper trash," said Smith in an earlier interview. "Not only will these cans help cut down on litter in our community, they also discourage bears from scavenging in the garbage for a fast-food meal." In 2004 there were 112 complaints about bears in Hardyston neighborhood and Police Chief Keith Armstrong said that bears and motor vehicles had collided five times last year in the township. "Hitting a bear may damage a car seriously, and it certainly will injure or kill the bear. The ensuing accident also may hurt or even kill the occupants of the car," said Armstrong. There were no fatal collisions between cars and bears in Hardyston last year. For more information on Critter Cans, visit crittercan.com, or look for them locally at MacAfee Hardware on 16 Old Rudetown Road in Vernon and at Heaven Hill Farm on Route 94 in Vernon