Bear Smart Tip of the Month

Building a Bear Smart Movement

Bears and humans share most of the North American continent. What's ours is theirs, theirs ours. We have no choice but to learn to coexist with our ursine neighbours. Human populations continue to expand into bear habitat, and bears continue to do what bears have always done: roam the woods from late spring to early winter, looking for mates and food (especially food!) so they can reproduce and raise their cubs to do the same.

The bears aren't going anywhere, and neither are we. We must learn to coexist, and the onus is on us.

Help us build a movement of Bear Smart individuals and communities who are committed to managing our affairs in ways that don't put bears (and people) at risk.

Bear-proof your home, then help your neighbours do the same.

Join the local Bear Smart organization - and if there isn't one, start one.

Work with local government officials to ensure your community has done everything it can do to secure attractants from bears.

Most of all, collaborate with other like-minded people across Canada and the United States to share inspiration and hope - and to create an undeniable groundswell of support for bears and Bear Smartness that will allow people and bears to coexist forever.

In the News

Lily and Hope Reunited
July 12, 2010. That's right the wild bear cub, named Hope, that we watched this winter being born on a dencam, then watched as she took her first steps, and unbelievably was deserted by her mom Lily... has now, on her own, reunited with her mom, and Lily is lactating. Watch Lily and Hope re-united here. And, read the story here.

Three cheers for BC Coquitlam's Mayor Richard Stewart for proposing a $5,000 to $10,000 fine if a bear is shot in your un-contained trash
July 10, 2010: Mayor Stewart thinks that there should be real consequences for homeowners that leave their trash out attracting bears that then get killed. Currently, the fine is $500. Read the story here.

Whistler closer to official provincial bear smart status
July 7, 2010: Here's a great summary by Lori Homstol of what's involved in getting bear smart status and the advantages for your community. Read the story here.

Congratulations to USFWS for temporarily closing the confluence of AK's Kenai and Russian Rivers to foot traffic, for public safety reasons
July 5, 2010: A mother brown bear was repeatedly attracted to angler-caught fish waste so she entered and reentered an area. As a preventative measure - the area was closed to foot traffic. The article also states that, "Kenai and Russian River fishermen are encouraged to either take fish out whole, or to follow "Stop, Chop and Throw" practices -- tossing fish carcasses into deep, fast flowing waters to reduce the number of fish remains which wash up on the riverbanks and decrease those bear attractants." Read the story here.

Bear Jams and holiday traffic - bears have their say
July 4, 2010: In our last issue we encouraged you to prevent bear jams on highways by posting signs stating "No Stopping". Here's a rare opportunity to understand the problems caused by roads from a bear's point of view. Read more. Unfortunately, you can also read about Alberta motorists feeding bears on HWY 93N and learn about Alberta's wildlife/bear guardian's program. Read that story here.

Montana: Electric fencing needs to be mandatory to protect chicken coops and all livestock from wildlife
July 1, 2010: Here's your classic summary of what happens when you mix wildlife with unsecured livestock. Read the story here.

Whistler revisits garbage pick-up
June 30, 2010: Whistler's Councillor Ralph Forsyth made a motion that recommendations be made to council within the next six months as to how to resolve garbage pick-up issues for residents without cars. Forsyth’s motion was carried in a 4-3 vote with Mayor Ken Melamed and Councillors Grant Lamont and Chris Quinlan opposed. Sylvia Dolson, Executive Director of the Get Bear Smart Society said she would like to see the idea of rotating bins given a try. And, she said that, Carney’s Waste Systems is working on a user-friendly bear-proof bin that would allow for garbage disposal, recycling and composting — a system that would also help Whistler achieve its goals for zero waste... And that, providing bins in Whistler’s neighbourhoods would help reduce property damage from bears breaking into homes and sheds and lead to a safer environment for both people and bears... Read the story here.

West Vancouver Police use Bear Matrix to determine if they should kill bear breaking into kitchens - bear killed
June 27, 2010: Tony Webb, spokesman for the North Shore Black Bear Network, said that about 80 per cent of residents comply with bear smart garbage disposal on the North Shore using bear-resistant containers, double wrapping food waste, not placing garbage in outdoor sheds and garages, and waiting until the morning of garbage disposal to place garbage on the curbside are a few ways to ensure that the bears keep out - however, 20% don't comply and they are responsible for this bear's death. Conservation officers used a provincial bear behaviour chart that states that when a bear is frequently entering occupied buildings, officials are obligated to destroy the bear. Watch the video here. Read the story here.

Cudos to Gerald Shaffer and Volunteers of BC's Sunshine Coast's Education and Resource (BEAR) Network
June 18, 2010: Shaffer has had great success getting bear safety education out to businesses and the public. Once called, BEAR sends someone to work with residents to identify what is attracting bears to their property, what they can do to stop it and what they should do if they have an encounter with a bear. You may have met Shaffer at the recent bear workshop in Canmore. Read the story here.

Public should have been warned that a radio collared bear, with a history of attacking miniature donkeys, was in the area. Two donkeys' deaths were preventable
June 16, 2010: Darcy Whiteside, a spokesperson for the Alberta Sustainable Resource Development (which includes Alberta Fish and Wildlife), said the department doesn't provide compensation in situations like this. And, "It would just be impossible to warn people of collared bears in the area." A better answer would have been that they had issued a warning to the public. At the same time, the owner of the miniature donkeys should have already been bringing all her animals into the barn every night for protection. Read the story here.

Biologists and city officials asked new Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan to close Rover's Run but he refuses to provide this simple protection for bears and residents
June 16, 2010: After two bear maulings in the summer of 2008 - the trail was closed in 2008 and 2009 but not this year... Spawning salmon in the South Fork of Campbell Creek have long attracted bears, and the narrow, bumpy dirt trail, which winds alongside the creek, can make it easy for people to surprise the animals. A biker has already been attacked this summer. Mayor Sullivan supports warning signs and critically examining the state's effort to reintroduce salmon (which attracts bears) into the city's waterways. Read the story here.

Ottawa rethinks their wildlife conflict plan for large wild animals
June 7, 2010: Ottawa's wildlife, including bears, have been getting a raw deal recently. In the mid-1990's MNR downloaded wildlife management to the City - resulting in an agreement between Ottawa and the National Capital Commission (NCC) to manage Ottawa's wildlife - but the NCC contract ended in 2001 and they weren't interested in renewing. Now authorities are looking for a workable solution that the public will support. Read the story here.

New study highlights CPR wildlife mortality
June 2, 2010: When it comes to bear mortality in Banff National Park, the CPR is six times more deadly than highways on a per-kilometre basis, and there are certain ‘high-risk’ areas along the 133 kilometres of the Canadian Pacific Railway running through Banff and Yoho National Parks where more bears have died than would be expected based on population data... Benjamin Dorsey, a master’s student at Montana State University, found there was no correlation between grain spill and areas of higher mortality risk [for bears], but Dorsey did find a correlation between railroad design and higher mortality risk... In Dorsey’s view, the CPR is “working diligently” to reduce grain spill along the tracks, but he also feels that more cooperation is needed to reduce the ability of wildlife to get on to the tracks through the use of wildlife crossings and sectional fencing in high-risk areas, similar to the steps taken to lower mortality along the Trans-Canada Highway. “We need to take a broader look at our transportation corridor here and not just look at highway and railway mortality as individual and separate things,” he said. Read the story here.

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