Did you know that WildSmart is a program of the Biosphere Institute, a local charity? Our work relies entirely on donations and sponsors. If you would like to support our community-based efforts to promote human-wildlife coexistence, please donate!
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 UPDATE (Aug 3-10, 2023)
(Banff National Park East Gate to Bow Valley Provincial Park)
Bears continue to be seen regularly in the Bow Valley and Kananaskis Country as they are searching for food such as buffaloberries, dogwood and other natural vegetation. One black bear has been frequenting the area near the Engine Bridge in Canmore, eating berries. Residents should be removing berry bushes and any fruit from the trees in their yards to help keep bears out of trouble!
Other bears have noticeably been moving up from the valley bottoms to higher elevations, so trail users need to be aware and expect encounters on trails. Trail users should be making lots of noise to alert any bears in the area of their presence, and do their best to avoid areas where bears have been seen or where active warnings have been put in place to reduce the risk of encounters. Bears have their heads down and are focused on eating berries, which increases the chance of surprise encounters.
With all the focus on bears during berry season, we can’t forget about the other wildlife that frequent the Bow Valley! A wolf was recently seen in the Bow Valley (see photo below) and there is another cougar warning for the YMCA Camp Chief Hector area.
Garbage continues to be a concern with people leaving garbage along trails and in day use areas. It is OUR responsibility to make sure that garbage finds its way into a bear proof bin. If the garbage bin is full, find another bin or pack your garbage out with you. We can’t prevent bears from walking through our yards, picnic areas and campsites, but we can certainly do our best not to give them a food reward or reason to linger!
A great photo of a wolf in the Bow Valley taken yesterday!
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
During this busy summer season, there have been many bear and wildlife jams, which puts unnecessary stress on the animals and causes public safety concerns. Motorists should obey posted speed limits and slow down near roadside wildlife - but don’t stop and cause (or be part of) a bear jam on the highway. Keep moving in order to give bears the space they need to feed undisturbed and never get out of your vehicle!
Motorists need to slow down but keep moving when passing bears roadside.
Trail users need to mentally prepare themselves to handle bear encounters (think about what you will do before you head out on the trail) and expect to run into a bear while out on the trails! Watch this short video about how to handle (and avoid) bear encounters to help you with this mental preparation. Remember to carry bear spray to use in case of accidental close encounters. Know where your bear spray is on your person (in an easily accessible location) and be comfortable getting it out!
This human-bear conflict summary map for berry season gives you a good sense of the areas frequented by bears at this time of year in the Bow Valley.
WILDLIFE AMBASSADOR WORDS OF WISDOM
Living and recreating safely in bear country means understanding many things, from signs that bears are around, to what to do in a bear encounter. As we wander in the wilderness (or even in town sites) we are travelling in a bear’s home: their living areas, dining areas, and even their bathrooms. Recognizing the food sources that bears are currently eating can help raise your awareness of the possibility that bears are around where you are at any given moment. Every month we’re going to look at what bears are eating right now, and for the next few weeks, and in this edition of What are the Bears eating today? by Derek Ryder, Volunteer Wildlife Ambassador & IGA Interpretive Guide, it is Dogwood.
Every year, starting in late August or September – not long after the shepherdia berries are all eaten or have dried up – bears turn to another popular food: the berries of the Red Osier Dogwood bush, Cornus sericea. This is a plant with many names. It’s also called red brush, red willow, redstem dogwood, redtwig dogwood, red-rood, American dogwood, creek dogwood, and western dogwood. There are many other kinds of Dogwood in North America, but only Red Osier and its much smaller cousin, the Bunchberry, grow in Alberta. Red Osier Dogwoods look willow-like, but have distinctive red stems that turn even more red after the first frosts. Click here to read Derek’s full article about Dogwood!
Click on this image of Dogwood to read the full article!
WEEKLY WILDLIFE AMBASSADOR WHEREABOUTS
In case you have not seen them yet, our amazing Volunteer Wildlife Ambassadors have been heading out onto trails and trailheads to talk to people about responsible trail use and staying safe while recreating in bear country. Note: the locations they go to may change at the last minute. Here is where they will be next…
Saturday August 12
Kananaskis Visitor Information Centre (formerly Barrier Lake info centre)
Keep an eye out for the Wildlife Ambassadors next time you are out on the trails in the Bow Valley and K-Country and be sure to say hi and have a chat with them!
WILDLIFE IN THE NEWS
Woman injured during defensive bear attack in northwest B.C.
Man attacked by grizzly bear in Wyoming's Shoshone National Forest.
Dog walker 'ignored' warning not to approach black bear, says B.C. photographer.
'Hank the Tank,' the bear behind 21 home invasions, has been captured near Lake Tahoe.
Reduced berry crop, habitat infringement putting pressure on bear population, leading to increased sightings in Prince George, B.C. residential areas.
Bears, bears, everywhere in Prince George, B.C., as animals come to the city seeking food.
Huge relief as beloved Fat Bear Otis eats 100 lbs of salmon in 3 days in Alaska.
Grizzly bear euthanized earlier this month in Big Sky, Montana after accessing garbage and unsecured food.
Delayed passengers growl after a bear escapes from the cargo hold of an Iraqi plane in Dubai.
Bear reaches into car and scratches a tourist through an open window in North Carolina.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT?
Fruit trees are the main attractants that will draw bears into residential areas and NOW is the time to remove the fruit before a bear points out the problem. Leaving fruit (such as crabapple, mountain ash, chokecherry and dogwood) in your trees can attract bears into residential areas, putting bears and people at risk. The best practice is to remove fruit bearing trees and shrubs from your yard, however if you decide to keep your fruit bearing trees and shrubs, please ensure the fruit is removed BEFORE it is ripe!
Residents can be fined for letting fruit and berries accumulate on trees and on the ground in their yards as per the Community Standards Bylaw. If you prefer to remove your fruit tree (recommended), the Town of Canmore is running their voluntary fruit tree removal incentive program again. Click here for more information and details about how to participate.
WildSmart has pruning shears and extendable pole saw pruners and fruit pickers that can be borrowed (free of charge) to assist Bow Valley residents in removing fruit and berry bushes from their property. Please send an email to resource@biosphereinstitute.org to make arrangements to borrow the fruit removal equipment.
These are common fruits/berries that attract bears into residential areas (pictured clockwise from top left); Chokecherry, Crabapples, Dogwood and Mountain Ash.
For example, Dogwood and cherries are already ripe around town and should be removed now (see scat photo below for proof). It is YOUR responsibility to make sure that bears do not have a reason to linger in your yard, resulting in bears being relocated or destroyed.
Dogwood in bear scat in Riverside Park, Canmore. Photo taken yesterday!
AND NOW SOME PAWS-ITIVE NEWS
The Biosphere Institute was very busy last weekend at Folk Fest! In addition to managing the incredible Green Team volunteers to divert as much waste as possible from the landfill throughout the weekend, we also had an interactive Biosphere Booth manned by dedicated and passionate volunteers, including Wildlife Ambassadors, who endured all sorts of weather (even a hail storm). Our booth showcased the work we do at the Biosphere Institute such as improving human-wildlife coexistence, empowering our youth to take action on climate change and learning more about renewable energy and energy transitions in Alberta. We even unveiled our newest crowd-gathering renewable energy attraction: a bicycle-powered phone charging station with LED/incandescent lighting, voltage meters, and even a fan to cool down perspiring cyclists!
Our very own Tanya doing some training for the Green Team Volunteers!
Ron Groves standing next to his creation for our booth: a bicycle-powered phone charging station.
Two of our Wildlife Ambassadors also took to the stage in the Family Area on Monday afternoon to have some fun with the kids and teach them about our local widlife, and how to safely coexist with bears and other wildlife in the Bow Valley! After their presentation on stage, they set up a table in the Family area and kept the wildlife safety conversations going with kids and their parents!
Wildlife Ambassador Sandy teaching our youth about wildlife safety at the Biosphere booth.
Wildlife Ambassadors Margie (left) and Coral (right) in action on the Family Stage at Folk Fest!
UPCOMING EVENTS
August 16 - Mountain WIT’s Greatest Hits!
Come celebrate 20 seasons of Mountain WIT with Parks Canada at the Raven’s Nest Outdoor Theatre on August 16th from 7:30-8:15 pm! The Parks Canada award-winning musical troupe will be sharing songs and stories from their ‘wild’ repertoire of previous shows and recorded hits. Pack up your family and friends, head up to Tunnel Mountain Village 1 (Roam Bus Route 2), and cozy up for the sing-along event of the summer. For more summer interpretive programming, visit the Banff National Park learning experiences page.
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