Electrifying Liard River Hot Springs
History of Conflict Although the source of the springs is natural, the pools were built during the construction of the Alaska Highway during World War II. The location is an extremely remote section of the road and is surrounded by undisturbed wilderness. The geothermal-supported microclimate is vibrant and the valley is extremely productive for black bears and other wildlife. Bears have even been observed to soak in the hot pools themselves. The hot pools are the second largest in Canada and are the only major attraction for hundreds of miles so many travelers on the Alaska Highway stop for a soak or to camp. The combination of concentrated bear population and non-natural attractants made this a heavy conflict zone. Unfortunately, this deadly combination resulted in two human fatalities in 1997. Partially as a result of this history, lethal control was often used as a primary mitigation strategy for human-bear conflict. Construction This site featured challenges beyond most electric fencing projects and was one of the most involved electric fence construction projects completed. A small specialist team was able to solve these issues- proving that electric fencing is a practical solution at even the most challenging sites. Site Size The total fence line was surveyed at 1600 meters. This is a moderately large electric fence in total distance. Adding substantial grounding and breaking the fence into two separately energized sections ensured an effective shock would be delivered at any spot on the fence. Vehicle Access A fence must simultaneously exclude animals while allowing easy human access. The requirement for easy and frequent vehicle access demanded a more user-friendly solution than a simple gate. A custom-designed electrified wildlife guard (similar to a cattle- guard) was designed and installed to allow un-restricted vehicle access while excluding animals. Fence Line Selection The fence was constructed around the perimeter of the park facilities, camping, and day-use areas, with all visitor parking contained within the fence. As the campground was already constructed, there was little room between the camping pads and the wetland area which is the Department of Fisheries designated critical habitat for endemic snails. Precision surveying, fencing preparation, and 31 direction changes along the fence line allowed construction within these constraints. Fence Line Preparation Much of the fence line was located in heavily forested areas. It is important that a fence line is prepared both for construction as well As for ongoing monitoring. Wildlife should have a chance to clearly see a fence through a cleared area rather than bumping into a fence in the midst of heavy forest. We used an industrial mulcher to clear the right-of-way, which also helps in suppressing vegetative regrowth. As the area has had indigenous use, an archaeologist supervised construction and identified a number of culturally modified trees. Visual Impact on park Guests Electric fencing can be intimidating for anyone who is not experienced in dealing with them. The fence was designed to remain visually appealing while also including necessary signage to ensure proper use of the fencing system. The fencing around the picnic site was made out of wood rail material with electric fence outrigging to maintain park aesthetics in the most visible areas of the fence line. News stories from the fatal Liard River Hot Springs bear attacks in 1997 (left) Map of the electric fence erected by Margo Supplies, photo of vehicle drive-over gate and pedestrian gate (right). For More Information on the Liard River Hot Springs project, click the link below:
Using Electric Fencing to Manage Bear Conflict
Bear conflict, in large, is driven by food in Alberta. Margo Supplies Heavy Duty fence is the tool of choice for homeowners, hobby farms, and industry professionals. The Heavy Duty fence is a multi-functional carnivore fence that can be a standalone fence system or can be installed on an existing fence. http://vimeo.com/video/631000796?h=8d541b7de8 Jay Honeyman is a bear conflict biologist with Alberta Environment and Parks. His job is large carnivore conflict mitigation and with that, he often deals with human-bear conflict. Jay explains the nature of these conflicts, and how installing a simple electric fence can protect high-value food sources from bears. From hobby farms to industry professionals, the benefits of electric fencing can be easily understood after speaking with Honeyman. “By reducing conflict and reducing these attractants so that bears aren’t interested in coming onto people’s properties. We’re not having to euthanize bears, we’re not having to relocate bears, we’re not having property damage for the landowner, and we’re not having public safety issues with bears hanging around properties.” – Honeyman, 2021 Electric Fencing is an integral component for managing conflicts with bears, especially when bears are motivated to an area. Once a bear gets a food reward they become quite driven and they will return to the area. Electric fencing breaks this reward cycle and tells the bear that they need to move on. “By removing the food source, it’s a win-win for everyone, and it’s something we should be doing more of”
6 Principles of Effective Electric Fencing
Whenever people live, work, or play in bear country, they bring a multitude of bear attractants with them. Bears are intelligent and curious animals, as well as opportunistic feeders with a strong sense of smell. Anything from beehives, to latrines, or used engine oil can cause an unwelcome visit from a hungry or curious bear. Additionally, once a bear has become conditioned to human food, they often continue to seek human food, posing a danger to themselves and people. Luckily, there is a solution. Electric fencing is a non-lethal deterrent that protects attractants from bears, yet doesn’t cause any harm to the animal. The brief and unpleasant shock teaches bears to quickly avoid the area. Electric fencing can seem daunting but is actually fairly simple and easy to construct. There are many different materials and types of fencing to choose from, but as long as the fence follows these principles, it will keep bears out. Voltage The shock from an electric fence must be strong enough to penetrate the thick skin of a bear. Your fence needs to be putting out at least 7,000 Volts at any spot on the charged wires. Use to test your fence and find shorts. Tight Wires The wires must be tight enough to separate the heavy hair of a bear and deliver the shock right to the skin. Whatever wire material you use, it must be “guitar string tight”. This ensures bears receive a shock as soon as they touch the fence. Corner posts must be braced to ensure they can withstand the tension. Your fence will need to be occasionally tensioned. No Obvious Weaknesses The wires must be tight enough to separate the heavy hair of a bear and deliver the shock right to the skin. Whatever wire material you use, it must be “guitar string tight”. This ensures bears receive a shock as soon as they touch the fence. Corner posts must be braced to ensure they can withstand the tension. Your fence will need to be occasionally tensioned. Grounding Bears receive a shock by completing the electrical circuit from the hot (charged wire) and the energizer. Electricity returns through negative wires or the ground. Ground plates or rods should always be present in an electric fence. The amount of grounding required depends on the soil and size of a fence. As a general rule, you can never have too much grounding. Wire Spacing Wires must be spaced so bears cannot easily go under, through, or above your fence. Permanent fences should have a negative wire no more than 2” above the ground, this discourages digging. Maintenance and Monitoring The fence line should regularly be walked to ensure debris hasn’t gathered against the fence, bears have not begun digging, and that vegetation remains clear of the fence line. A well-built fence looks like a well-built fence. Wires are tight and spaced consistently, corners are braced, and the immediate fence line is kept clean of debris and vegetation. If all these principles are adhered to, the electric fence will stop bears. Some government organizations and conservation groups may even help you pay for electric fencing which will help keep yourself and property safe. Introducing Margo Fence Hub We want to share our expertise with you. Margo Fence Hub is your resource for anything related to electric fencing. From planning to installation, we have compiled various educational resources to help you create an effective electric fence system. Go to Fence Hub
Keep Your Cabin Safe with Electric Bear Fencing
“Electric Fencing for a cabin?” As the weather cools down, you’re likely not considering installing bear fencing. If you are a cottage owner, trapper, or outfitter with a cabin, however, it is strongly recommended you consider bear fencing to protect your assets. If you’re not careful, your cabin might receive a visit from an uninvited guest while you’re away. Bears search for food with their nose and your cabin is filled with attractants. Not only will they search for leftover food, they are also attracted to garbage, waste-water, household chemicals, motor-oil, almost anything with a smelly or pungent aroma. At this time of year, bears are packing in as many calories as possible, up to 20,000 per day in preparation for the winter. Bears are muscular critters and they can easily break through doors, windows, and even plywood cabin walls to get to that food source. And once a bear is rewarded with food, they’ll keep coming back to your cabin year after year. How to Prevent Damage with Bear Fencing Luckily, with a little prevention work, you can keep bears searching for wild food out of your cabin. Electric bear fencing is one of the best solutions to prevent cabin damage. You can install the fence directly on your cabin to protect the control area when you’re not around. Electric fences deliver a painful, but harmless shock that teaches bears to avoid your cabin. By targeting behavioural changes and creating a “landscape of fear”, bears will learn that your cabin as off limits. Follow these simple principles for your bear fencing: Think like a bear: You want a bear to contact the positive (charged) wire before it has a chance to cause any damage. Install wire anywhere you think a bear is likely to gain access – you’ll want to protect every window and door, and string at least one wire along the wall. Energizers: Electric fence energizers send short, safe, but strong electric pulses through the fence. If your cabin’s power supply will remain active choose and AC-powered charger. If not, a solar powered system will keep the fence active as long as you have sunlight reaching the panel. Our solar energizers use AGM frost-proof batteries are designed to remain active in cold temperatures. The fence energizer should be producing at least 7,000 volts along all points of the cabin wrap to be effective. Bear fencing sends a shock when the bear grazes the electric circuit, often done via the ground (earth) and a 6 inch ground rod driven into the soil. Grounding is one of the most important components in an electric fence, always use bonafide ground rods. If a section of the electrified wire passes over insulated ground material – like a wooden deck – you’ll need to place a negative wire connected directly to the negative about 6 to 8 inches away from the positive wire. Wire Selection: Most importantly, the wire needs to be tight to ensure bears receive a strong shock to their skin. Baygard Polywire is high-visibility and easy to work with for seasonal installations. Galvanized Steel Wire is an excellent choice for more permanent installations. Insulators: You’ll need to keep your electrified wire away from any other material, including your cabin. Electric fence insulators can be screwed right onto wood for easy installation. It might seem intimidating at first, but installing bear fencing is not difficult. With a little planning and execution, you can protect your cabin all year round. Visit our Fence Hub to learn all about fencing. Introducing Margo Fence Hub We want to share our expertise with you. Margo Fence Hub is your resource for anything related to electric fencing. From planning to installation, we have compiled various educational resources to help you create an effective electric fence system. Go to Fence Hub
From Fruit to Fences: How I Became a Leader in Wildlife Management
My name is Jeff Marley and I’m the founder and owner of Margo Supplies. Working on my wife’s family orchard, I quickly learned how wildlife damage can impact total yields. I began experimenting with pyrotechnic scare cartridges and developed my own techniques to reduce damage in our fields back in the late 1970s. Using this experience, I began to develop my own techniques to reduce the incidents of wildlife in our fields. Developing these products became a passion of mine. After moving to Alberta, I started expanding my product offerings, sold units to neighbouring farms, then began working with government agencies and other industries. Margo Supplies was born in 1980. Behaviour-Based Solutions Throughout my career in wildlife management, I’ve learned the importance of working with and taking advantage of natural animal behaviour. By creating a “landscape of fear,” we can deter animals from entering control areas and create lasting changes in the local environment – your control area. Our goal is to get the target animals to associate your control area with negative stimuli, reducing their determination to enter the area. Behavioural solutions are often the best way to ensure that an animal doesn’t simply replace another in the future. We want to create a lasting impact in the target area. Whether you have issues with birds eating your fruit or bears invading your camps and parks, if you convince them it’s unsafe, they will learn. Non-Lethal We are manufacturers and users of our products. We prefer to use simple, yet effective tools that don’t get in the way of your home or operation. And because they’re effective, you likely will incur fewer costs with generate better results. Practical Solutions By protecting an area using our “landscape of fear” tactic, we can achieve behavioural-based solutions in a humane and environmentally friendly way. Our use of visual, auditory, or painful stimulants in the control area are more effective – which saves you money over time. Lethal tactics can solve one problem, but it won’t solve multiple ones down the line. I know first-hand that a predominantly non-lethal philosophy will better serve your needs. Systems-Based Approach I’m in this business because I love the outdoors. I believe it’s important to give back to support wildlife conservation efforts. We donate our time, products and services as well as financial support to the conservation of black, grizzly and polar bears in western North America and the High Arctic. Conservation We take a systems-based approach to resolving wildlife conflict issues. This means by using our tools and techniques, we’ll help you create a comprehensive strategy that will keep unwanted wildlife away from the control area. Our systems and philosophy are implemented on our site and used by many of our industry partners. We extensively research and test each system and product. Logistics Support Conflict with wildlife often happens in the backcountry. We understand these are remote areas, that are difficult to ship to – and when you need a product, you need it right away. That’s why we’ve set up four shipping warehouses to dramatically reduce the time it takes to get you your solutions. We’ve shipped to every corner of the globe. After over 35 years, I’ve worked with and gained insight into the various needs of industry, government, and outdoors people, and feel confident that my expertise can create a lasting solution for your needs. -Jeff Marley Margo Supplies was born out of a love for the backcountry life, a desire to help people’s businesses thrive, and a respect for the wildlife that share our planet with us.
