This Letter is reprinted with permission by the Living with Wildlife Foundation.

Thank you for submitting your product for testing through the Living with Wildlife Foundation (LWWF), Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) and Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC) Bear-Resistant Products Testing Program.

In January of 2006, we tested the bear-resistant lid you designed which had been mounted onto a 3- yard, side-load dumpster provided by Waste Management of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The lid had been fabricated by a company in New Mexico according to your specifications.

The dumpster and lid were tested with two carabineer clips attached to the latches on the front of the dumpster lid. Under this configuration, the container and lid combination passed the captive bear test. This means that captive grizzlies were not able to access the food reward inside of the dumpster within the 60-minute test period.

If the clips are not used in conjunction with the latches, the dumpster lid can open if the dumpster is pushed over by the bears. This would result in product failure. Therefore, it is imperative that you inform potential buyers that they must use the clips in conjunction with the latches on the dumpster lid in order for the product to be bear-resistant per our testing guidelines.

If you have any questions, you may contact me at the address or phone number below. Thank you for participating in our testing program and for your efforts to improve the quality of bear-resistant products.

Sincerely,

Patti Sowka

Testing Program Administrator

Executive Director, Living with Wildlife Foundation