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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 (June 6-13, 2024)
(Banff National Park East Gate to Bow Valley Provincial Park)
There continue to be regular bear sightings throughout the Bow Valley (in residential areas and at the Canmore Nordic Centre) and in Kananaskis Country (roadside along Highway 40 and near the golf courses), often feeding on green grass and dandelions along highways, roads and trails.
Grizzly bears were in the local news this week and not for a good reason. An unknown male grizzly bear, and a female grizzly bear and her two cubs were struck and killed by vehicles on the Trans Canada Highway in Yoho National Park. This mother bear was a well-known white bear named “Nakoda.” Here is a nice picture slideshow A Tribute to Nakoda - The White Grizzly of Canada's Mountain Parks, courtesy of All in the Wild Photography.
Speed kills wildlife! This applies everywhere, but especially on Highway 1 (Trans Canada Highway) and Highway 40. Here are some key reminders for motorists:
Obey speed limits and slow down when passing wildlife. Consider slowing to 30 km/h when passing wildlife roadside.
Give bears at least 100m of space at all times! Do not linger near wildlife feeding roadside and keep moving along.
Do not stop to view wildlife and always stay in your vehicle.
Be extra vigilant at dawn, dusk and during night time hours to avoid collisions with wildlife. Bears, as well as all sorts of other animals, are still utilizing the roadside ditches for feeding on the natural vegetation such as green grass and dandelions, which fulfills important habitat needs for these animals at this time of year.
The Friends of Kananaskis Country have some great Tips for Roadside Wildlife Viewing for motorists and cyclists.
Female grizzly bear 178 (aka ‘Nakoda’) eating dandelions roadside. Photo courtesy of Jason Leo Bantle (All in the Wild Photography).
Campers need to be diligent in keeping wildlife attractants secured (food, garbage and anything with a scent) by locking them in vehicles, hard-sided trailers or bear proof storage lockers, when not on site or overnight.
Make lots of noise (yell, shout) to let wildlife know you are coming down the trail to avoid surprise encounters, and give them time to move off of the trail. Always be prepared to encounter bears throughout the Bow and Kananaskis Valleys. If you know of or have heard of bear activity in a given area, please consider recreating elsewhere! With bears being seen around Canmore, and aggressive mother elk protecting their calves, it is a good idea to be carrying your bear spray whenever you leave the house to go out for a walk, run or ride! Bear spray should always be carried while recreating on the local trails in and around Canmore.
Cow elk with her calf. Remember to stay away from all elk, at least 30m, which is 3 school bus lengths, and never try to sneak past them!
The Elk Calving Warning remains in effect for Canmore. Some elk calves are already mobile and moving around with less defensive mothers, however there continue to be other cow elk showing aggression towards people who are getting too close to their calves! These incidents are occurring on both sides of the valley along trails and near green spaces. Calves are often hidden in dense vegetation along the trails so extra vigilance is required. There have also been some deer fawns spotted around Canmore and mother deer will also aggressively defend their fawns, just like elk.
People need to stay well away from ALL elk to prevent a physical confrontation with them. If you see any elk, immediately leave the area and DO NOT TRY TO SNEAK PAST THEM. Even bikers should not be trying to sneak past elk on the trails. Turn around and go the opposite direction and give elk lots of space, at least 30m (3 school bus lengths), keep your pets on a leash and always carry bear spray and be prepared to use it.
There is also an increased risk of encountering predators such as bears, cougars, wolves and coyotes who are looking for an easy elk calf meal. This poses more public safety risks. Do not touch or remove young calves if they are found in the woods! Newborns will spend much of their time alone in their early days and will appear lifeless in order to avoid detection by predators. Their mother is not far away…
VIEW CURRENT WARNINGS AND CLOSURES
Bear Warning - Canmore Nordic Centre due to numerous black bears that have been observed in the area.
Bear Warning - William Watson Lodge and surrounding areas due to several bear sightings in the area.
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
“Urban Elk” By Robin Contos
A herd of elk is a common sight in the Town of Canmore. Urban settings are becoming more and more appealing to ungulates like elk, as there are large open green spaces, such as soccer fields, where they can graze peacefully without worrying about predators.
However, there are some dangers to both humans and elk that can result from elk becoming more comfortable hanging around these areas.
Without the threat of predators, mother elk may choose to calve within the town. A mother elk will be aggressively protective of her offspring, meaning she will not hesitate to charge people or dogs that get too close to her calf. Although mother elk may pick locations in town to calve because they feel safe from predators, the flip side of this is that they may instead just be drawing predators into the town site. Bears and cougars (and sometimes coyotes and wolves) are particularly interested in elk calves so be especially aware of this in the spring.
The difficulties brought with calving in urban areas are not the only concerns. Chronic wasting disease (CWD), is a fatal neurological illness that can spread quickly through large groups of ungulates. The higher the concentration of elk in a small area, the more detrimental an outbreak would be.
It is important to always report sick or aggressive wildlife as soon as possible. Phone Kananaskis Dispatch at (403) 591-7755 to make a report.
Always be aware of the location of wildlife in your area and give them as much space as possible.
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 Dandelions.
It is now mid June; EVERY bear is awake and has migrated down to the valley bottoms. Sightings of bears in towns and along roadsides have increased. Part of this is because it’s elk calving season, and a bear getting their teeth on a baby elk would be great for the bear (not so much for the elk, but then there’s a lot more elk than bears). However, bears aren’t that great when it comes to hunting, and in general, they get FAR more energy from plants than meat. Now is the time of the year for one of the “Top 5 Plant Foods for Bears in the Bow Valley”: Dandelions. Click here to read Derek’s full article about Dandelions!
Click on this image of a grizzly bear eating Dandelions 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 out at the Canmore Engine Bridge and Boat Launch, Highway 40 Road Closure near Highwood Pass in K-Country and the Grizzly Paw Community BBQ. Note: locations they are stationed at may change at the last minute.
June 14 - Highway 40 Road Closure near Highwood Pass in K-Country
June 15 - West Bragg Creek and the Canmore Engine Bridge
WILDLIFE IN THE NEWS
Death of iconic white grizzly bear sparks calls for wildlife conservation.
Fourth grizzly bear dies in Yoho National Park in as many days.
Bear attack on two hikers in Waterton Lakes National Park triggers trail closures.
WildSmart was on Global TV Calgary to talk about avoiding wildlife encounters.
Fines for wildlife attractants in Canmore have increased.
One sent to hospital after bear attack at Northwestern Ontario Provincial Park.
Mourning loss of beloved blond bear, wildlife advocates want more protection for the animals.
Cubs of rare white grizzly bear killed in highway collision in Yoho National Park.
Rare white grizzly bear dead, succumbs to injuries from vehicle collision.
Lost black bear saunters through Canmore grocery store parking lot.
Cougar attacks hiker and off-leash dog in Strathcona Park on Vancouver Island.
Bear charges 2 people and dog in Squamish Estuary, prompting warning.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT?
Is your bird feeder still up? Bears are excellent climbers and will follow their noses for an easy meal like bird feed! Please help try to keep bears and other wildlife out of trouble by taking your bird feeder down (that includes hummingbird feeders) and cleaning up the ground underneath. The Town of Canmore Community Standards Bylaw only allows bird feeders to be hung from December 1 to March 31. Click here for more details.
Fresh bear scat with sunflower seeds in Canmore on June 3, 2024! Must be from a bird feeder…
To help keep bears and other wildlife out of trouble, please remove your bird feeders and feed, and clean up the ground underneath ASAP!
Bears will go to great lengths to eat the bird seed!
AND NOW SOME PAWS-ITIVE NEWS
We had a great time last weekend at some awesome community events in Canmore! Some of our Volunteer Wildlife Ambassadors were at the Grizzly Paw Community BBQ, and WildSmart was at the Alpine Club of Canada’s Open House.
Collectively we all enjoyed chatting with residents and visitors about wildlife safety, responsible trail use, how to use bear spray and how we can all work together to improve human-wildlife coexistence in the Bow Valley and beyond!
Pictured from L to R: Wildlife Ambassadors Margie, Renée, Coral and Sandy. Grumpy Bear in the middle at the Grizzly Paw Community BBQ.
UPCOMING EVENTS
June 17 - Earth Talks: Disaster Preparedness in a Changing Climate
Join us with Caitlin Miller at the Canmore Public Library for her presentation, “Disaster Preparedness in a Changing Climate” on Monday, June 17 at 7pm in the Friends Program Room.
Caitlin Miller, Director of Emergency Management for the Town of Canmore, will be joining us to talk about all things disaster preparedness including:
How the Town of Canmore prepares for disasters
How a changing climate affects the way municipalities prepare for disasters
What actions attendees can take to be prepared for disasters
This talk is FREE and registration is required to attend in-person - Click here to register now!
For those who are not able to attend in-person, you can join online via Zoom by clicking here. (Registration is not required when viewing via Zoom).
June 18 - Make Your Own Herb Garden Workshop
Join us for the entire month of June at the Canmore Brew Co. for a beer in support of the Biosphere Institute! Half of all profits of the featured, award-winning charity tap (Highline Lager) will be donated to the Biosphere! We are so grateful for this partnership and look forward to hosting a few events there throughout the month:
Herb Garden Workshop - Tuesday, June 18 from 7-8:30pm (Click here to register)
Clean Commute Challenge! All month! Every day in June that you walk, cycle, take public transit, or use any other form of low-carbon transportation, you can enter the draw for some amazing prizes. (Click to learn more)
JUNE 19 - IN-PERSON BEAR AWARE IN BANFF
Join the Town of Banff and Parks Canada for an interactive Bear Aware session that will have you learning how to be safe in bear country. This 90-minute in-person session will be led by two Parks Canada wildlife specialists and includes a presentation on how to identify different types of bears, common bear behaviours and tools and tips to prevent bear encounters. You will also get hands on experience using inert bear spray. This FREE session is on Wednesday, June 19 from 7-8:30pm at The Fenlands in Banff (Registration is not required).
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