Gardiner, Montana · Gateway to Yellowstone
Living beside
the bear.
Bear Awareness Gardiner works to keep our community safe and our grizzlies wild — through education, free gear, and neighbor-to-neighbor action.
What we do
Four programs. One mission.
Bear-proof trash cans
Every Gardiner resident receives a free 64-gallon certified bear-resistant garbage can. Businesses cost-share at 50%. Because unsecured trash is the leading cause of bear conflict.
Electric fencing loans
We loan electric fencing to protect beehives, chicken coops, fruit trees, and other bear attractants around your property — at no cost to you.
Fruit tree gleaning
Volunteers remove fruit from trees across the Gardiner Basin each fall — eliminating the generational food memory that draws bears repeatedly into neighborhoods.
Bear spray access
Bear spray rentals and giveaways for residents and visitors. The region's largest distributor — because preparation is protection, for people and bears alike.
When bears find food in town, everyone loses.
A bear that discovers human food gains far more calories than it ever could in the wild. It returns, again and again. Eventually, wildlife officials have no choice but to remove it from the landscape. Bear Awareness Gardiner exists to break that cycle — before it starts.
"The caloric reward from human foods is so much greater than anything they'd find in the wild. That trash can becomes a really valuable food source."Evan Stout, Bear Awareness Gardiner
In partnership with
Ready to be bear aware?
Whether you're a longtime resident, a new neighbor, or a business owner — there's a role for you in keeping Gardiner safe for people and bears.
Contact Bear Awareness Gardiner