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The information below is based upon a compilation of bear information provided by government agencies and unconfirmed sightings reported by the public over the last week. It is not intended to be used as a real-time, complete record of where bears are in the valley.
BEAR ACTIVITY SUMMARY (Aug.25-Sep.1, 2022)
(Banff National Park East Gate to Bow Valley Provincial Park)
The major theme of this week is black bears and they are being seen all over the place in the Bow Valley and Kananaskis Country!
In Canmore bears are being seen in residential fruit trees and people’s yards, and a black bear sow and her cub were tranquillized and trapped in downtown Canmore on Aug.29 after feeding in a large crabapple tree.
In order to coexist with wildlife in the Bow Valley we all need to do our part and remove the fruit from our trees and ground underneath to avoid drawing bears into town! It is our responsibility as residents and good neighbours to make sure that bears do not have a reason to linger in our yards, as they will pay the price for our poor attractant management by getting relocated or destroyed.
It’s a long weekend coming up and the last one of summer! Don’t be part of the problem, be part of the solution by not leaving garbage out on the trails, in parks or day use areas. Black bears are actively looking for food in valley bottoms and are at high risk of obtaining food rewards from unsecured human food and garbage. All attractants must be stored in a manner inaccessible to bears!
If you are down in K-Country and come across any overflowing dumpsters or open garbage bins, please attempt to secure the lid before leaving and report it to Kananaskis Emergency Services (KES) dispatch at 403-591-7755 Ext.4.
With all the focus on black bears this week, it is important to mention that the elk rutting season has begun and male elk are particularly protective of the female elk they are with. The best way to keep them at ease is to stay at least 30m away - which is three school bus lengths - never try to sneak past them and never get between a male elk and the female elk. Remember to keep pets on a leash, carry bear spray in an easily accessible location, and if an elk charges, use your bear spray or position a large object (e.g. car, large tree) between you and the elk.
Bull Elk in Canmore. Photo by Derek Ryder
You can also submit your report using the Report-A-Poacher Online form or contact your local district Fish and Wildlife office.
SOME THINGS TO ‘BEAR’ IN MIND
If you plan on doing some camping, remember to keep your campsite clean and garbage free! Make sure that bear attractants such as garbage, food and scented items are kept in vehicles or hard-sided campers while camping. If you are camping in the backcountry, please use the bear proof lockers and bear hangs (if provided). Plan your campsite appropriately and ensure proper separation of cooking area, tent site and food storage. Be prepared to encounter bears out on the landscape whether you are in the backcountry or front country within parks and public lands. You can proactively give them the space they need to feed undisturbed by avoiding areas where bears have been seen or where active warnings have been put in place!
You can also do your part by making lots of noise to alert bears of your presence, travelling in groups, keeping pets on a leash and being aware of your surroundings by not wearing earbuds or headphones. Even if you are going for a leisurely walk around the neighbourhood in Canmore you should be carrying bear spray and keeping your distance from all wildlife!
WILDLIFE IN THE NEWS
Recent local article about fruit trees attracting black bears into Canmore.
A mother black bear and cub were tranquillized and relocated from downtown Canmore on August 29.
Canmore introduces first Community Standards Bylaw which includes rules about wildlife attractants.
A black bear with three cubs was euthanized in Bragg Creek last weekend.
Naramata, B.C. resident punches a bear during a close encounter.
A mother grizzly bear teaches her cub how to dig for clams.
A black bear was shot after breaking into a residential building in Yellowknife, NWT.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT?
Some important reminders about fruit trees for Canmore residents:
Leaving fruit (such as crabapple, mountain ash, chokecherry and dogwood) in your trees can attract bears into residential areas, creating a hazard for people and the children in those neighbourhoods, and also to the bear that may need to be relocated or destroyed if it continues seeking out residential fruit trees.
Residents can be fined for letting fruit and berries accumulate on trees and the ground in their yards as per the new Community Standards Bylaw. Key highlights related to Wildlife Attractants include:
New fruit-bearing vegetation that are wildlife attractants will not be allowed to be planted within Canmore, but it allows existing ones to remain.
No Person shall permit a Wildlife Attractant to be placed or remain in an outdoor location where the Wildlife Attractant is accessible to Wildlife. This means fruit and berries are not allowed to accumulate on existing trees, bushes or on the ground!
No Person shall feed, attempt to feed, or permit the feeding of Wildlife.
Fines can range between $250 to $10,000.
To find out more you can view and download the Community Standards Bylaw here.
Removing the fruit from trees in your yard is recommended, but removing the fruit tree itself is the best practice. Fruit trees can be replaced with ornamental, non-fruit bearing trees, that produce beautiful blossoms but are not wildlife attractants.
The Town of Canmore is running a Voluntary Fruit Tree Removal Incentive Program. More information and details about how to participate can be found on their website.
For those residents who are hesitant to replace their fruit trees, bears that get into fruit trees can cause extensive damage to the trees (as shown below) with the end result of the tree dying and often having to be replaced anyways.
We have extendable fruit pickers and extendable pole saw pruners that can be borrowed free of charge (donations are welcome). Please send an email to resource@biosphereinstitute.org to make arrangements to borrow the fruit picking equipment.
Picked fruit can be put in the residential food waste bins around town. Leaves, branches and clippings can be put in the appropriate bins at the Boulder Crescent Recycling Depot.
Click here for more information about fruit trees and bears.
Mountain Ash trees damaged by a black bear in Three Sisters area on Sep.8, 2021. Photo by Bob Cumming.
WILDLIFE AMBASSADOR WORDS OF WISDOM
Bears follow their noses and stomachs in search of the easiest meal, which these days in the Bow Valley are crabapples, dogwood, cherries and mountain ash. They are doing their best to pack on as many pounds as possible in preparation for heading into their dens later this fall, but those calories should not be coming from people’s yards as it poses a public safety risk and could cost a bear it’s life!
A bear's go-to sense is their nose. Let's look up INSIDE a bear's nose to see why their sense of smell is 2,000 times better than ours.
"BUSTING BEAR MYTHS" BY DEREK RYDER, WILDLIFE AMBASSADOR
Myth: Bears can’t run downhill.
Fact: Bears are good runners. They can run fast in a sprint, but also run at high speed for distances of a kilometer or more. They can run over 60 km/hr, and don’t care whether they are running downhill or uphill.
Bears mostly run to catch prey, or to chase away or escape a threat. Their primary prey (elk, deer and moose) have no troubles running down hills, and neither do the bears chasing them. In fact, chasing an elk down a hill increases the chances that the elk could stumble or fall, which in turn increases the bear’s chances of capturing it. If a bear was avoiding a threat (say, another bear chasing it), it would be a real problem if it could not run downhill. All chases would end on the tops of mountains.
Bears are good runners and don’t care whether they are running downhill or uphill. Source: @Montanaknifecompany
AND NOW SOME PAWS-ITIVE NEWS
With all the bears in town feeding in fruit trees it is great to see that some residents are being proactive and borrowing our extendable fruit pickers and extendable pole saw pruners to remove the fruit from their trees! We encourage you all to spread the word about our tool-lending library so we can all work together and help keep bears out of trouble!
Canmore resident Don in action with one of our extendable pruners removing choke cherries. Photo by Heidi Widmer.
For those of you who have crabapples but do not know what to do with them, look no further. The team at Core Values Cider Co. is holding a fruit drive this Fall and will be happy to take them off your hands. Drop offs can be made at their cidery (located at 1402 Railway Ave.) during normal business hours. Pickup services are available. For more info please contact Core Values Cider Co. at info@corevaluescider.ca or by phone at 403-679-1578.
UPCOMING EVENTS
This September, test drive an electric vehicle!
Biosphere Institute is bringing the Plug ‘n’ Drive Mobile Electric Vehicle Education Trailer (MEET) to Banff and Canmore in September! This is a hub for electric vehicle education and awareness, and there will be free, bookable test drives available. Click here for dates and information!
BANFF ISN’T DISPOSABLE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Biosphere Institute has officially partnered with Banff Isn’t Disposable to expand this reusable takeout container program to the Bow Valley. We are thrilled about this opportunity to build the circular economy in both Canmore and Banff!
We need volunteers in Banff for the rest of the market season. At your shift, expect to promote zero waste, talk with the public, and hang out with like-minded people.
Please remember BEARS CAN BE ENCOUNTERED ANYWHERE, ANYTIME!
Report any sightings of a bear, cougar, wolf or any aggressive wildlife in Kananaskis Country or the Bow Valley to Kananaskis Emergency Services at 403.591.7755