There are a multitude of ways you can help, giving whatever time you have to spare or by making a financial contribution. Each little bit will add and accumulate and multiply - soon we will have accomplished amazing things together.

"It is man's sympathy with all creatures that first makes him truly a man. Until he extends his circle of compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace."

- Dr. Albert Schweitzer (Nobel Peace Prize), French philosopher/ physician (1875-1965)

Here's What You Can Do: 10 Steps

1. Keep bears out of your own backyard by eliminating bear attractants (improperly stored garbage, bird seed, pet food kept outside, dirty barbecues, smelly compost, rotting fruit on ground). Become a Bear Aware household. Join our We Are Bear Aware Club. Get a sticker to proudly display at your home.
   
   
2. Learn to tolerate bears passing through your residential neighbourhoods. Understanding bear behaviour will eliminate unfounded fears and open the door to coexistence. Bears and People can Live in Harmony!
   
   
3. Contact conservation groups and volunteer your time and/or provide financial support.
   
   
4. Phone, write, fax, or email your political representatives and let them know how you feel about the needless destruction of bears. Most government directories can be found on-line. Access Government of Canada Directory. Access B.C. Provincial Government Directory.
   
   Write to the Wildlife Branch and express your concerns about bear management in B.C.
   

   Contact: Mike Badry
   Wildlife-Human Conflicts Strategy Coordinator
   Conservation Officer Service Headquarters, Ministry of Environment
   Email: MikeBadry@gov.bc.ca
   Telephone: 250 387-9793 Fax: 250 356-5240

   Physical Address: 4th Fl 2975 Jutland Rd

   Mailing Address: PO Box 9376 Stn Prov Govt Victoria BC V8W 9M5

   
   
5. Tips on Writing Effective Letters
   
   
6. Copy the editor of your local paper on all your correspondence, or call into radio talk shows and voice your opinion.
   
   
7. Start a petition in aid of animal welfare or protection of the environment and send it to your municipal or provincial government. If we take the initiative to protect bears, our leaders will follow suit.
   
   
8. Encourage your friends and neighbours to be 'bear smart' and eliminate bear attractants from their properties. Encourage them to be proactive in making their views public. Start a Neighbourhood Bear Watch program in your area. Contact us to learn how.
   
   
9. Be active in your community; lobby your municipal government to become 'bear smart'. Persuade them to bear-proof their waste containment, initiate 'bear aware' educational programs, improve bylaw enforcement and initiate a non-lethal bear management program.
   
   
10. Learn as much as you can about bears, their feeding areas, denning habitats and travel corridors. Work to preserve these areas for future generations.
    
    
11. Report any suspected illegal killing of bears or other wildlife, be it a hunter or poacher or other irresponsible individual. Call the B.C. Wildlife Branch's 'Observe, Record, Report line' at 1-800-663-9453.

Don't let Canada's grizzly bears disappear!

Canada's grizzly bears need your help. The very symbol of Canadian wilderness, this magnificent species is threatened by unsustainable mortality rates and increasing levels of development in grizzly bear habitat. Without your help, they will disappear from much of their current range in the next 50 to 100 years.

Thankfully, you can make a difference for the grizzly bear. And now it's easier than ever. Visit The Grizzly Bear Alliance and the Grizzly Bear Action Centre, a one-stop shop that allows individuals to help secure a future for this magnificent species.