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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 UPDATE (July 6-13, 2023)
(Banff National Park East Gate to Bow Valley Provincial Park)
There continue to be numerous bear sightings along trails, roadsides, in residential areas and campgrounds throughout the Bow Valley and Kananaskis Country. In addition to a number of black bears, at least 11 different grizzly bears were observed along Highway 40 yesterday alone!
Berry season is in full swing, the crop is looking good, and bears are taking full advantage of the abundance! As such, everyone visiting bear country needs to have good situational awareness and always be aware of their surroundings, expect bear encounters, make lots of noise and give bears the space they need (at least 100 m or 10 school bus lengths) to forage undisturbed in this crucial, short window of time.
All park visitors and campers need to be extra vigilant in securing their food and other items that attract wildlife, even when they are still at their campsite or picnic area. It is important to always have your bear spray ready and available, just in case you get any unwanted four-legged visitors to your campsite. We can’t prevent bears from walking through our picnic areas and campsites, but we can certainly do our best not to give them a food reward or reason to linger!
Please remember that bears can be encountered anywhere, anytime (not just in areas with an active warning or closure in place) so you should always be expecting to run into a bear whenever you head out on the trails in the Bow Valley and Kananaskis Country! That means you should know before you go and mentally prepare yourself for encounters. Even if you are going for a leisurely walk around the neighbourhood you should be carrying bear spray.
Bears will have their heads down focused on eating berries and not paying attention so it is up to us to make lots of noise to alert them of our presence to help avoid those surprise encounters.
Even though elk calving season is winding down, this is no time to become complacent. Mother elk will still aggressively defend their calves if they feel threatened by people getting too close! Never approach elk for any reason, stay at least 30 metres (3 school bus lengths) away from all elk and do not try to sneak past them on a trail!
VIEW CURRENT WARNINGS AND CLOSURES
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
Some places like Lake Minnewanka near Banff (see restricted activity notice below) have seasonal trail restrictions in effect to increase public safety and minimize the displacement of grizzly bears from prime food sources at a critical time of the year. Hiking in a minimum group size of four that must stay together, carrying bear spray and leaving your dogs at home are simple and effective ways to avoid dangerous interactions with bears. You should consider following these best practices anytime you are out in bear country!
Lake Minnewanka seasonal trail restrictions are in effect from July 10-September 15!
Bears and other wildlife continue to be seen on and near roads. Remember to obey speed limits and slow down when passing wildlife but don’t stop and always stay in your vehicle! Never get out of your vehicle to get closer to a bear that is roadside. It stresses out and disturbs the bear, and is potentially dangerous for you, the bear and other motorists.
To help give these bears the space they need to feed undisturbed, “No Stopping Zones” have been put in place along Highway 40 in K-Country. The safety and well-being of wildlife is far more important than you getting that perfect picture. Never feed wildlife or encourage wildlife to come closer to you or your vehicle and OBEY ALL NO STOPPING ZONES!
A bull moose about to cross the road in K-Country on July 11, 2023.
If you have not already done so, please complete this 15-minute online survey or scan the QR code below. Thank you for doing your part to help improve human-wildlife coexistence!
WILDLIFE AMBASSADOR WORDS OF WISDOM
Wildlife Ambassador Derek is back to talk more about Buffaloberries, the plant bears dream about all year long!
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 July 15
Parks Day at Elkwood Amphitheatre area in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park
Heart Creek
Black Prince
Sunday July 16
Engine Bridge in Canmore
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
Black bear eludes capture after feeding on garbage at Lake Minnewanka in Banff.
Video shows a grizzly bear walking toward Montana hikers at Glacier National Park.
Hiker's encounter with a grizzly bear feeding on a carcass closes a K-Country trail.
Here is an article about the survey mentioned earlier in this bear report looking at recreation impacts on wary wildlife in Canmore.
This video shows the importance of properly securing garbage so that it is not accessible by wildlife, no matter how hard they try.
A tree planter is in stable conditon after a ‘defensive attack’ by a grizzly bear in northern B.C.
A dead bear was found in a women’s backyard in Monrovia, near L.A. in California.
Listen to this interview about a book called ‘Eight Bears' that explores the dangers bears face across the world.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT?
We are in berry season and it is important to note that buffaloberries are often found in sunny areas along trails, roads and recreation areas, so trail users should always expect to encounter a bear while out on the trails or at day use areas. Bears will have their heads down focused on eating berries and not paying attention, so it is up to all of us to make lots of noise to alert them of our presence to help avoid those surprise encounters. Bears take this feasting job very seriously, eating up to 200,000 berries per day and focusing on it for over 20 hours per day! As such, when bears are surprised they can respond defensively as they may feel threatened. We need to make extra noise and be vigilant (that means NOT wearing headphones/earbuds) when travelling through bear country.
Shepherdia canadensis, more commonly known as Buffaloberry. Red berries are most common but they can also be orange or yellow.
Bear scat can be an indication of bear activity in the area. During berry season bear scat looks a lot like strawberry jam! Keep an eye out for it on the trails and do not linger in areas with fresh scat. If you do stumble upon some fresh scat out on the trails, remember to be extra vigilant, make extra noise to alert potential bears of your presence, and consider turning around if you are not prepared to handle a possible encounter with a bear. Always have your bear spray readily accessible!
A trail of bear scat during berry season!
A positive proactive step that you can take is to remove unripe fruit (such as crabapple, mountain ash and chokecherry) from your trees NOW before you have a bear in your tree. Leaving fruit in your trees can attract bears into residential areas, putting bears and people at risk. For example, Dogwood and cherries are ripening around town and should be removed before they ripen. 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.
An example of Dogwood ripening in Canmore on July 13, 2023.
In an effort to reduce conflict between bears and people in Canmore, the Town of Canmore is running their voluntary fruit tree removal incentive program again. Homeowners are invited to express their interest in participating in the program which will cover 100% of the pre-tax cost of removal of the fruit tree(s) or bush(es) by an arborist or tree removal service up to $500/property. The program is first-come first-served while funds are available. Click here for more details.
AND NOW SOME PAWS-ITIVE NEWS
WildSmart and some of our amazing Volunteer Wildlife Ambassadors had a great time at the Canada Day celebrations in Canmore! It was great to see such a huge turnout from our amazing community. Before the parade, we set up our hands-on, interactive booth in Centennial Park and enjoyed talking to many locals and visitors (almost 300 people) about wildlife ecology, safety, discussing ways to avoid and handle encounters with wildlife and bear spray. Thanks to our amazing volunteers for their enthusiasm, dedication and ability to educate the people who live in, and visit, the Bow Valley!
Wildlife Ambassadors in action at our Canada Day booth in Centennial Park on July 1, 2023.
We will have an interactive booth at Parks Day this weekend at the Elkwood Amphitheatre (see Upcoming Events below). On Parks Day (July 15) a Kananaskis Conservation Pass is NOT required! Learn more here.
CURRENT VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Are you passionate about waste reduction, music and community? Sign-up for the Canmore Folk Music Festival's Green Team. Last year, we diverted 1260 kg of material (86%) from the landfill! Join a team of volunteers as we work towards a zero-waste event.
Bonus perks! If you volunteer for 10 hours, you will receive a weekend pass for the festival, a volunteer T-shirt, access to backstage snacks and beverages and a private wee-hour party following the main stage concerts on Sunday and Monday night! Sign up here and indicate that you would like to help with the "Environment Team".
UPCOMING EVENTS
July 15 - Parks Day at Elkwood Amphitheatre area in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park
WildSmart and our Wildlife Ambassadors will be at this annual event. Celebrate Parks Day with Alberta Parks staff at the Elkwood Amphitheatre area and participate in fun activities starting at 11am. The Alberta Parks Interpretive Team will providing natural history talks, a self guided race, art programs, an interpretive talk and cake!
Come chat with our Wildlife Ambassadors at our booth about responsible trail use and staying safe while recreating in bear country, and join WildSmart on a Bear Awareness Hike at 1:30pm (max. 20 people, registration is required at the event). Click here for more event info!
We hope you will join us for this interactive, family friendly celebration of Parks!
July 19 - Mountain WIT’s Greatest Hits!
Come celebrate 20 seasons of Mountain WIT with Parks Canada at the Raven’s Nest Outdoor Theatre on July 19 and August 16 from 7:30-8:15 pm! Our favourite 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