Looking back over a year's worth of Whistler headlines, it's pretty clear what some of the top stories were in 2011: pay parking, sled dogs and the municipal election.
But those three attention-grabbing topics certainly weren't the only issues in what seemed to be a pretty newsy year - especially considering that it was going take a lot to outdo the Olympic year in terms of interesting topics. Similar to the Games, for better or worse, some of the big local stories even made international news.
Municipal finances, transit challenges, the ongoing asphalt plant saga, various lawsuits (Rainbow Park, Bill Barratt) and a bad year for Whistler's black bears, including the death of local icon Jeanie, also grabbed a fair share of the headlines over the last 12 months.
So, true to The Question's tradition of bringing readers the highs and lows of the year that was, read on for a recap of the news of 2011. [The following is an excerpt of the bear-related news only.]
........JUNE
The first black bear of the year was killed because of getting into conflict with humans - in this case, entering a home in Alta Vista when two people were inside. June was a busy month for wildlife activity in Whistler, with a bear cub hit and killed by a vehicle on Highway 99, two other bear home invasions and a cougar sighting.
OCTOBER
Despite a failed berry crop and an increase in bear conflicts and deaths in Whistler so far in 2011, the Province named the resort a Bear Smart Community. Whistler was the fourth community in B.C. to earn the designation, which indicates special efforts have been made to reduce human-bear conflicts.
.......Whistler's most iconic black bear, Jeanie, was shot and killed by conservation officers on Oct. 20 after what was described as "escalating and repetitive conflict of a serious nature." The female bear, which was estimated to be more than 20 years old, had bluff-charged people in the Village and at the Roundhouse and had broken into several restaurants in the previous days.
Condolences for the bear poured in locally and from afar, with major media outlets also picking up the story. Sylvia Dolson of the Get Bear Smart Society, who had observed Jeanie for 15 years, said the bear's death was an indication that it's time to re-evaluate all aspects of managing life in bear country.
DECEMBER
Conflict kills for black bears in Whistler reached a 10-year high in 2011, with conservation officers having to shoot 14 animals because of threats to public safety. In addition, at least nine bears also died in the area after being hit by vehicles on Highway 99. The last time more bears were killed in one year because of human-bear conflict was 1999 when 19 animals were destroyed.
