Bear Report - September 12, 2024

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The information below is 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 (Sep.5-12, 2024)

(Banff National Park East Gate to Bow Valley Provincial Park)

There continue to be reports and sightings of black bears in fruit trees and passing through yards in residential areas throughout the Bow Valley. A black bear was seen at Elizabeth Rummel School (ERS) yesterday morning. It was minding its own business and went up a tree as cars were pulling in. It was likely drawn to the area by fruit trees in the neighbourhood which was later confirmed by officers as the bear spent the rest of the day in the area feeding in a variety of fruit trees, mostly Mountain Ash, in peoples’ backyards.

Bears are so focused on food this time of year that they are more likely to take risks, like coming into town and backyards to feed in fruit trees. Letting a bear access these higher calorie items such as crabapples and mountain ash won't do it any favours. Once they try these food sources they can learn that towns provide easy meals, meaning they're more likely to stick around and come back. This can become a public safety issue as bears can get protective of food sources, leading to conflicts between bears and humans, with bears normally paying the price by getting relocated or killed.

Relocated bears generally have a fairly low chance of survival (around 30%), but moving a bear in the fall is especially difficult as they need to eat as much as possible before their winter hibernation.

We are failing as a community when it comes to keeping people and bears safe! Five officers in bullet proof vests are not going to solve this problem in Canmore. We all need to work together to stop encouraging bears to come into town. That means we all need to STOP feeding them by removing all potential wildlife attractants from our yards, including fruit from our trees and ground, berries, pet food, garbage, bird feeders, recycling and greasy bbqs. If we remove the food sources, we remove the problem!

Residents need to step up and start having friendly conversations (not confrontations) with friends, family and neighbours with fruit trees in their yards about the importance of removing fruit to keep people and bears safe in the Bow Valley! Two key points to discuss are:

  1. Remove your fruit trees or their fruit. Otherwise, you may face steep fines and be responsible for killing a bear!

  2. If you want to help save bears, report all sightings of bears in town to 403-591-7755.

 

This black bear was seen at Elizabeth Rummel School (ERS) yesterday!

 

A cougar was in the news this week after killing a family barn cat just SW of Calgary. The cougar was likely a juvenile and showed aggressive behaviour at their back door. It serves as a good reminder to never leave children and pets unattended on your property and always carry bear spray when heading outdoors in cougar country!

With elk rutting season in full swing, you may hear some loud bugling! Male elk are particularly protective of the female elk they are with and may become aggressive towards anything that comes too close. 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: keep pets on a leash, carry bear spray in an easily accessible location, and if an elk charges, consider using your bear spray or position a large object (e.g. car, large tree) between you and the elk. Never approach elk up close as they are wild animals that can react unpredictably!

Elk frequently hang out along trails and in wide open fields such as school yards and playing fields around town, which means you may have to choose an alternate route while out for a walk/run/ride. Parents should have a conversation with their children about giving wildlife lots of space, not trying to sneak past wildlife on the trail and calmly leaving the area if they see elk or other wildlife on their commute to school. It is also recommended to carry bear spray if you are walking or biking to and from school and work.

Bow hunting season is now open in the Bow Valley so please be aware of your surroundings and stay clear of dead animals. Hunters need to be cautious as due to the nature of their activity, they are intentionally being quiet on the landscape. They should always be bear aware and carry bear spray with them while out hunting!

 

Photo by Amar Athwal.

 

VIEW CURRENT WARNINGS AND CLOSURES

Bear Warning - Commonwealth Creek Area, including Mount Smuts, Mount Smutwood and Birdwood Lakes due to a group of hikers who encountered a grizzly bear that followed them. Bear spray was deployed and the bear retreated.

Bear Warning - Skoki Trails and Johnston Creek Trails due several grizzly bears in the area displaying defensive and aggressive behavior. Bears have approached hikers and extra caution is advised.

 
 

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

Ever wonder what bears do in September? Learn all about it from our friends at BearWise south of the border. “September at a Glance: Bears enter hyperphagia in September and may look for food up to 20 hours a day. Berries, nuts and acorns are important fall bear foods. Bears can gain two to three pounds a day. Even bears that don’t hibernate eat as if they’re going to. Moms-to-be look for a good birthing den and nursery. Click here to read the full article about What bears do in September.

There are many outdoor enthusiasts who are doing sunrise hikes, which is also when wildlife are very active! Before making plans, it would be nice for people to consider what is best for the wildlife. Bears continue to feed in order to gain as much weight as possible for the upcoming winter so allowing them to feed undisturbed by giving them lots of space is a great example of human-wildlife coexistence. With the busy Larch season starting soon, bears will be doing their best to escape the hoards of people out on the trails, so please consider leaving those times (like dawn and dusk) for bears and other wildlife. Be extra vigilant if you are wandering off-trail to avoid the crowds - as bears need somewhere to go to avoid the people. Consisder staying on designated and popular trails and leaving space for bears. That is what coexistence is all about!

You can also do your part by staying out of closed areas, avoiding areas where bears have been seen, or where active warnings are in place, 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.

Have your say on Parks Canada’s Lake Minnewanka Area Plan!

Parks Canada is initiating development of the Lake Minnewanka Area Plan, a guiding document that will set long-term direction for managing the Lake Minnewanka Area. At this stage, they are focusing on gathering information, identifying priorities, and scoping the plan. Parks Canada would like to hear what is important to you about the area. Your input will help shape the plan.

Click here to complete the survey now! This survey is open now until October 25, 2024. All questions are optional, and your participation is anonymous and voluntary. Related article: Lake Minnewanka plan to look at managing access to deal with skyrocketing visitation.

 
 

WILDLIFE AMBASSADOR WORDS OF WISDOM

Kananaskis Country is home to a lot of animals, including bears. Recreating safely in bear country means more than just knowing what to do in a bear encounter. It’s also understanding signs that bears are around, so that maybe those encounters can be prevented.

Bears are big enough that they almost always leave evidence that they’ve been present – if you know what to look for. Keeping your eyes peeled for this evidence can help you be aware if bears are present, and will decrease the risk that you’ll accidentally run into a bear. Every month we’re going to learn about some of the signs bears leave in the forest, and in this edition of Watching for Bear Signs by Derek Ryder, Volunteer Wildlife Ambassador & IGA Interpretive Guide, it is Flipped Rocks.

A prime food for bears any time they’re awake is ants. A few months ago, I noted that broken logs were a good sign bears were going after Carpenter ants. Being opportunistic feeders, bears often just sniff for things on their travels. Finding an ant colony as they walk from point A to point B is kind of a food “freebee”. And one place ants live is under rocks.

It is not the slightest bit uncommon to be walking on a trail, through a meadow, or in an open forest, and find rocks that have been flipped over. Usually, the flipped rocks are big; the bigger the rock, the more that can hide under it. In the last few weeks alone, I’ve seen rocks flipped over that were so heavy, it was hard for me to move them. Click here to read Derek’s full article about Flipped Rocks!

 

Click on this image of a flipped rock 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. You can find them talking to people about responsible trail use and staying safe while recreating in bear country. Last weekend they were at Bow Falls in Banff. Note: the locations they are stationed at may change at the last minute.

Sep.14 - Bow Falls in Banff and the Canmore Engine Bridge.

Sep.15 - artsPlace Community Market from 10am-4pm.

Keep an eye out for the Wildlife Ambassadors next time you are out on the trails in the Bow Valley and K-Country. If you see them on the trails, be sure to say ‘hi’ and have a chat with them!

WILDLIFE IN THE NEWS

FOOD FOR THOUGHT?

The Mountain Ash crop in the Bow Valley is blooming right now and will likely attract more bears into town! 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 killed. Remove your fruit trees or their fruit, or you may face steep fines and be responsible for killing a bear! To find out more about the fines associated with allowing wildlife attractants such as fruit to accumulate on trees and on the ground, view/download the Community Standards Bylaw here.

There is still over $45,000 remaining in the budget this year for the Town of Canmore’s Fruit Tree Removal Incentive Program so we urge you to consider removing your fruit tree! Click here for more information and details about how to participate.

WildSmart has pruning shears, 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. 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. You can also use your crabapples to make delicious jams, jellies and baked goods and liqueurs.

 

Fresh bear scat right next to Centennial Park in Canmore - full of Mountain Ash berries. Photo taken today, Sep.12, 2024.

 

AND NOW SOME PAWS-ITIVE NEWS

In recent years, there has been explosive growth in outdoor recreation, especially in parts of the Yellowstone to Yukon region. While recreation can bring many positive benefits for people and communities, this pressure can also unintentionally impact sensitive species, increase tension across different user groups, and affect the quality of outdoor experiences. More so than ever there is a need for information on where, when, how and how many people are recreating.

Since 2020, researchers at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) and Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y) have conducted extensive recreation research, using a combination of traditional and innovative technologies, to understand the intersection of recreation and wildlife in B.C.’s Upper Columbia and Alberta's Kananaskis-Ghost. With this year marking the completion of the team’s research, they have summarized their findings and strategies for monitoring and managing recreation in this research summary.

Top takeaways from four years of research - here are some of their key findings:

  1. To reduce the impacts of recreation on wildlife, we must first understand what activities are happening.

  2. We can use data from both traditional tools and user-generated tools to better understand recreation patterns.

  3. Science can help wildlife and people share space.

This research also reveals opportunities for better recreation management. How wildlife responds to recreation and the overlap with where people are recreating varies by species, season, location, and type and intensity of recreation. All together, these efforts aim to equip and empower decision-makers with the resources and tools needed to improve land and recreation management, making sure people can enjoy the great outdoors while minimizing their impact on wildlife.

 

Click on the image to learn more about responsible recreation in wildlife habitats.

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

September 16 - Earth Talks: Wise Practices for Living with Wildlife

How might we achieve greater coexistence with wildlife and begin to return more than we take? Want to learn and do more? Join this talk for some sharing and dialogue around something central to the identity of the Bow Valley - coexistence with wildlife.

Josh Welsh, Senior Manager of Communities & Conservation, Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation, will present about "Wise Practices for Living with Wildlife at the Scale Nature Needs." There will be time for a Q&A after the presentation.

This FREE Earth Talks event will take place on Monday, Sep.16 from 7-8pm, in the Friends Program Room at the Canmore Public Library. Registration is required to attend in-person, or you can join online LIVE via Zoom by clicking here.

 
 

November 15 - Biosphere Institute’s 3rd Annual Community Square Dance Fundraiser!

The Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley invites you to join us for some boot stompin' fun at our third annual Square Dance Community Fundraiser! The most fun you can have with your boots on...

We will provide you with an incredible live band, light snacks and so much laughing your belly will hurt the next day! Dress to impress in your best Western wear! Prizes for "Best dressed" and "Most enthusiastic" dancer.

Friday, November 15, 2024 
Doors open: 6:30 PM at the Cornerstone Theatre in Canmore
Dance begins at 7:30 PM and runs until late.
General Admission: $45+processing fees 
Early Bird Tickets (limited quantity): $35+processing fees 

Silent auction, draw prizes and more! All profits go to supporting the Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley. All are welcome! We welcome young and old cowboys, cowgirls, and cowpals! No dance experience or partner necessary. The past two years have sold out, so get your tickets soon. A limited number of discounted early bird tickets are available until Sep.25, 2024. Yeehaw, see you there!

 
 

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 Dispatch at 403.591.7755