A sudden increase in bear activity in and around Whistler Village is prompting conservation officers to remind the public to be diligent about managing garbage and picking fruit off of trees near built-up areas where possible.

Recent activity includes a bear that made its way inside the Roundhouse Lodge and a bear that was driven away from the Whistler Sliding Centre using loud noisemakers, bean bags and rubber bullets, Chris Doyle of the B.C. Conservation Officer Service said on Monday (Oct. 19).

"There's a lot of freshly seeded clover there that they like," Doyle said of the landscaping surrounding the sliding centre.

In general, the summer of 2009 has been quiet on the bear front. After a summer and fall of 2008 that saw officers kill 12 bears, many of which had entered homes and vehicles, no bears have been killed in Whistler so far in 2009. And September was quiet, with only 11 calls coming into the Ministry of Environment's call centre.

Doyle, though, said that with about a month left before most bears head into hibernation, he's looking for the public to remain diligent about keeping attractants indoors. That means proper storage of garbage, pet food and other attractants. Removing fruit can help, too.

"There have been quite a few issues lately with bears confronting people around town. The specific attractant seems to be mountain ash," Doyle said, referring to the trees and shrubs with the clumps of orange or red berries in the fall. "There have been a couple of encounters around Blueberry. We've done some hazing, but it's pretty difficult to keep them away from an attractant like that."

The bear that entered the Roundhouse recently was captured and adorned with a GPS collar, then given a short-distance release.

On Sunday (Oct. 18), hikers reported having seen a grizzly bear along the Rainbow-Madeley trail, near Rainbow Lake, Doyle said.

To report bear and other wildlife activity, please phone the MOE hotline at 1-877-952-7277.