Volusia County, FL - Volusia County is one of ten Florida areas that will be awarded BearWise Funding in order to purchase bear-resistant trash cans, dumpsters, and other equipment for residents at a discounted cost, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
The FWC has awarded ten communities that applied for the BearWise funding a total of $515,283. The funding addresses the issue of black bears entering neighborhoods due to unsecured trash. Volusia County will get $75,000 to purchase bear-resistant trash cans for the County's west side. Below is a breakdown of the ten areas awarded the funding, according to the FWC:
- Seminole County - $189,000 to purchase bear-resistant trash cans for residents in the western portion of Seminole County, which has an ordinance requiring trash be kept secure from bears.
- Lake County - $85,508 to purchase bear-resistant trash cans for residents in Lake County, which has an ordinance requiring trash be kept secure from bears.
- Volusia County - $75,000 to purchase bear-resistant trash cans for residents in the western portion of Volusia County.
- Holley by the Sea Improvement Association - $65,000 to purchase hardware to modify all 3,700 trash cans to make them bear-resistant in the Holley by the Sea Improvement Association, located in the southern portion of Santa Rosa County, which has an ordinance requiring trash be kept secure from bears.
- Highlands County - $48,000 to purchase bear-resistant trash cans for residents in the central portion of the Highlands County.
- Orange County - $20,000 to purchase bear-resistant trash cans for residents in the northwestern portion of Orange County, which has an ordinance requiring trash be kept secure from bears.
- Walton County - $18,000 to purchase bear-resistant trash cans for Walton County parks and to modify dumpsters to make them bear-resistant.
- Air Force Enlisted Village - $7,700 to modify dumpsters to make them bear-resistant in this community in Okaloosa County.
- Collier County Parks and Recreation - $3,675 to purchase bear-resistant trash cans for three Collier County parks.
- Franklin County - $3,400 to purchase hardware to modify regular trash cans to make them bear-resistant for residents in the southern portion of Franklin County.
This year, the Florida Legislature and Governor Rick Scott provided $415,283 to the FWC to cost-share with local governments in areas with high levels of human-bear conflicts. At least 60% of that money must go to communities with ordinances requiring trash be kept secure from bears. The FWC also received funding from the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida, which provided an additional $100,000 in proceeds from the Conserve Wildlife license plate.
Below are the criteria that the FWC used to evaluate the BearWise funding applications:
- Does the community have an ordinance requiring residents and businesses to keep trash and other attractants secure from bears?
- How many households within the community are in an area with significant human-bear conflicts, and how many residences and businesses are expected to benefit?
- How much in matching funds or in-kind services can the community provide?
- What is the likelihood the project will result in a community-wide reduction of human-bear conflicts?
You can find out more information on FWC and black bears by visiting
MyFWC.com/Bear and clicking on “
Live BearWise.” You can also find a BearWise video
here.
Copyright Southern Stone Communications 2017.
