| |
Good
|
Better
|
Best
|
 |
Birdfeeders
|
Hang
out of reach, clean below feeder.
|
Not
allowed during bear season.
|
Not
allowed at any time. |
| Fruit trees, berry bushes |
Remove
fallen fruit from ground.
|
Remove
all fruit before it ripens. |
Remove
all fruit trees and berry bushes in heavy-use human areas,
particularly plants near entrance-ways, children's play areas. |
| Gardens |
Harvest
vegetables as they ripen.
|
In
addition to good practices, avoid potatoes and root vegetables,
such as carrots and beets, that are attractive to bears. Never
use blood meal, fish fertilizer or deer repellent. |
Electric-fence
gardens. |
| Compost |
Keep
compost clean and odour free by using lime and brown material,
as well as turning often.
|
In addition to good practices, never compost meat, fish, oil,
grease or dairy products (incl. products made with milk such
as bread). Locate compost well away from house, bear travel
ways. |
Use
electric-fenced community composting system or an indoor worm
composter. Compost only yard waste outdoors (e.g. cut grass,
leaves). |
| Pet food, livestock feed |
Take
pet dishes indoors at night. If food is stored outdoors, keep
it in an airtight container.
|
Supervise
pets while being fed outdoors, take pet dishes in when done.
Keep food in a bear-resistant container. |
Do
not feed pets outdoors, do not leave dog bones lying around
yard, keep pet/livestock food securely indoors or in bear-proof
containers. |
| Pets |
Keep
pets in fenced yard (un-chained).
|
In
addition to good practices, take pets inside at night. |
Do
not allow pets outdoors without supervision. Train dog(s)
to deter bears, but not aggravate them. |
| Dirty bbq's etc. |
Burn
bbq clean after each use, clean grease can.
|
In
addition to good practices, cover bbq and store out of the
wind. |
In
addition to good practices, store bbq securely inside (without
propane tank as it is fire risk). |
| Livestock |
Take
small livestock in at night. Locate calving grounds away from
forested areas. Remove carcasses from property and bury in
a remote spot at least 8-10 ft. deep or use a rendering service
for disposal.
|
In addition to good practices, use guardian animals to protect
livestock (i.e. dogs). |
In
addition to good practices, electric-fence livestock and use
guardian animals for additional protection. |
| Beehives |
Don't
place beehives in prime bear habitat, like a berry patch or
riparian zone. Don’t set up in early spring, when other
bear foods are not yet abundant.
|
In
addition to good practices, place beehives on platform with
an overhang at least 3 m above ground. Wire beehives together
with metal strapping. |
In addition to good practices, electric-fence beehives. |
| Property |
Keep
all accessible doors and windows closed and locked when not
home. Do not store food of any kind outside, even if it is
in a locked refrigerator or freezer. Don't leave trash, groceries,
animal feed, coolers or any odorous item in your vehicle or
in the back of a pick-up truck, even under canopies.
|
In
addition to good practices, keep lawn mowed and weeded. Play
radio when not home. |
In addition
to better practices, keep all accessible windows closed
and locked at all times, use unwelcome
door/window mats when leaving property unattended,
use scarecrow
or similar deterrent to discourage animals from entering
property. |
| |
Good
|
Better
|
Best
|
 |
Distribute
brochures. |
In
addition to good practices, install signage, provide presentations
(particularly at schools), write letters to editor, run free
Public Service Announcements - newspaper, radio and cable
TV. |
In
addition to better practices, initiate a door-to-door campaign,
provide info. on website, run an ad campaign, provide displays
at local museum, local events etc., provide interactive learning
opportunities, spread your message through mediums that have
a secondary use i.e. book marks, playing cards & games,
placemats, magnets, calendars etc. |
| |
Good
|
Better
|
Best
|
 |
Type
of Collection System
|
Curbside
Pickup: Garbage stored indoors until day of pick up, or in
bear-resistant containers outdoors - place curbside only on
morning of pick-up. |
Main
bear-proof compactor sites for general use placed strategically
at points in community by which residents regularly travel.
|
100%
bear-proof receptacles placed throughout community - one for
every 30 homes + bear-proof receptacles for commercial use
(incl. garbage, recycling & grease). |
Type of Disposal System
|
Landfill
- food waste cell electric-fenced. |
Landfill
- all cells electric-fenced, including construction waste,
recycling materials - buried skirt 1 metre wide under fence
to prevent digging. |
Electric-fenced
Transfer Station or Incinerator - all refuse, construction
waste, recycling materials inside electric fence - 1 metre
wide skirt buried under fence to prevent digging. |
| |
Good
|
Better
|
Best
|
 |
Municipal Bylaws or
Ordinances
|
Bylaw
prohibits placing garbage curbside before a certain hour on
day of pick-up. Garbage must be stored securely indoors until
it is disposed of. |
In
addition to good practices, bylaws should state: (1) fallen
fruit must be removed daily before nightfall; (2) outdoor
fridges/freezers must be inaccessible to wildlife; (3) birdfeeders
prohibited during bear season; (4) restaurant cooking grease
must be stored in a bear-proof manner or secure facility.
|
Bylaws
should clearly state that: (1) outdoor waste receptacles must
be bear-proof; (2) garbage (incl. restaurant grease, construction
waste), compost and recycling must be stored securely and
inaccessible to bears until it can be deposited in a bear-proof
waste system; (3) provide specifications for bear-proof waste
containers; (4) birdfeeders, fruit producing landscaping and
compost are not allowed; and (5) add restrictions on dirty
bbq's, pets & pet food, animal carcasses, outdoor fridges/freezers,
beehives, orchards, and livestock. Intentionally feeding and
harassment of wildlife prohibited. Significant fines established
on an increasing scale. |
Provincial or State
Legislation
|
Prohibits
intentionally feeding or harassing wildlife. Low fines. |
In
addition to good practices, prohibits attracting wildlife
under some circumstances. Low fine with heavier fine for subsequent
violation. |
In addition to good practices, prohibits attracting wildlife
under any circumstances. Immediate high escalating fines.
Court prosecution leading to higher fines or jail time.
|
| |
Good
|
Better
|
Best
|
 |
All
construction including residential/commercial development,
parks, campgrounds, road and trail designs need to take into
account infringement on bear habitat and should avoid high
quality areas as much as possible. |
In addition to good practices, remove all artificially landscaped
berry & fruit producing shrubs in children's play areas,
busy pedestrian ways, entrance-ways of public places and no-go
bear zones. Encourage businesses and residents to do the same. |
In addition to better practices, thin or remove heavy cover
from areas surrounding school yards/playgrounds, parks, greenbelts,
etc. Fence school yards and playgrounds adjacent to forested
areas of bear habitat. |
| |
Good
|
Better
|
Best
|
 |
Encourage
communication between various stakeholder groups involved
in community planning to ensure plans are made with bears
and bear habitat in mind. |
In
addition to good practices, map bear habitat including food
sources, travel corridors and denning sites - overlay with
existing and proposed human developments sites (grading the
intensity of use) to determine high conflict areas. |
In
addition to better practices, ensure all community planning
documents take bear smart principles into account. Identify
important highway and railway bear/wildlife crossing
sites - work to reduce bear-vehicle accidents and mortalities
at these sites e.g. signage, wildlife over/under passes,
reduction in speed limits. |
| |
Good
|
Better
|
Best
|
 |
Implement
hazing program to deter bears from high-use human areas non-lethally. |
In
addition to good practices, apply aversive conditioning
techniques to the most valuable animals in the population
(e.g. threatened species, reproductive-aged females,
'alpha' males) that are involved in conflict situations.
|
Implement
full aversive conditioning program where bears are radio-collared
and monitored 24-7 and are treated with human dominance techniques,
combined with noise and physical deterrents whenever their
behaviour is considered undesirable or inappropriate. Ensure
sufficient funding for project term before beginning (i.e.
manpower, equipment). |
| |
Good
|
Better
|
Best
|
 |
Establish
a cooperative program within the community that uses volunteers,
city employees and waste management personnel to monitor potential
conflict areas identified in the bear management plan and
document and report locations where human foods and other
attractants are available to bears. Follow up to ensure compliance
with Bear Management Plan.
|
Establish
a telephone hotline (reporting to wildlife agency) for community
residents to report bear sightings and potential conflict
situations, such as improperly stored trash receptacles, unattended
fruit-bearing trees, etc. Ear-tag all bears involved in nuisance
situations. Establish a systematic reporting system that is
easily maintained (GIS) to document patterns of bear conflicts
in the community, and the identity and history of bears involved
in conflict situations.
|
In
addition to good and better practices, hire a professional
biologist to monitor compliance with Bear Smart principles
within the community and to carryout other monitoring activities
as needed.
|
