Lions Bay is a small village of 530 homes situated north of Vancouver along the 'Sea-to-Sky' highway on the way to Whistler. The community is surrounded by undeveloped mountainside bear habitat, and crossed by forested corridors and creeks. Between 1999 and 2001 numerous bears became neighbourhood problems in the Lions Bay area and were destroyed.

Concerned residents and Village Administration combined efforts to reduce bear/human conflicts and no bears have been killed here since. Bear management practices include bear problem assistance to residents through a wildlife hotline, various contact numbers for bear information, communication campaigns to alert residents about bears, adult and children education to teach about attractants and how to deal with bear encounters, and waste management bylaws.

Lions Bay's Waste Management Bylaw prohibits residents from placing garbage/recycling curbside before five a.m. on pickup morning, and from allowing wildlife access to any outside stored food sources. Village Administration is very proactive about bear management. Public garbage bins are bear-proof and a centrally located bear-proof dumpster has been provided for residents who cannot store their garbage indoors.

Bear Smart grants combined with Village contributions have supported numerous efforts to become a 'Bear Smart' community. A Bear Hazard Assessment was prepared in 2005 and a Human/Bear Conflict Management Plan in 2006.

Lions Bay's Bear Management Goals

• waste management bylaw violations are infrequent
• residents embrace the movement of bears through their forested community
• nothing alters the bears' natural behaviour or eating habits
• no negative human-bear encounters occur.
  

Wildlife Reports or Bear Information
Lions Bay Wildlife Hotline 604-661-9969

Lawrence Ruskin -primary responder
Phone: 604-921-3369 (8am-5pm only please)
Email: lruskin@telus.net

Norma Rodgers - alternate responder, administrator
Phone: 604-921-8467
Email: normarodgers@telus.net

Lion's Bay Village Office
Phone: 604-921-9333
Email: office@village.lions-bay.bc.ca