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BEAR ACTIVITY SUMMARY FOR THE BOW VALLEY
(Banff National Park East Gate to Bow Valley Provincial Park)
For the period: September 20 to September 27, 2019
SUMMARY
There continue to be reports of black bears in and around Canmore and the MD of Bighorn hamlets, primarily feeding in fruit trees in yards. Bears are being drawn into residential areas by people allowing fruit and berries to accumulate on trees in their yards. These attractants bring bears and humans close together, creating public and wildlife safety concerns. You can help keep bears safe and wild by removing fruit and other attractants (such as bird feeders, garbage, pet food and greasy BBQ’s) from your yard. Removing fruit attractants from your yard helps avoid attracting bears into residential areas, which reduces the need arising to trap and relocate bears. Relocated bears generally have a fairly low chance of survival, but moving a bear in the fall is especially difficult for the bear.
Photo courtesy of Lisanne Mol
Removing the fruit from trees in your yard is recommended, but removing the fruit tree itself is the best long term solution. Fruit trees can be replaced with ornamental, non-fruit bearing trees, that produce beautiful blossoms but are not wildlife attractants. 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. Click here for more information about fruit trees and bears.
Please drop by the Biosphere Institute in Canmore to borrow our fruit picking equipment! We recommend calling ahead of time to reserve as equipment is limited.
The fruit can be used to make delicious jams, jellies and baked goods and liqueurs! Extra or unused fruit can be dropped off in the new bear-proof residential food waste bins in Canmore.
In an ongoing effort to reduce conflict between bears and people in Canmore, the Town of Canmore amended their wildlife attractant bylaw, and they are running a Voluntary Fruit Tree Removal Program. Click here for details about these initiatives, or come to their Open House on Thursday, October 3 from 5 - 7 pm at the Coast Hotel to learn more about the new bylaw changes.
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 they may become aggressive towards anything that comes too close. Give plenty of space to elk (more than 30 meters), never get between a male elk and a female elk, and be sure to keep pets on-leash. If an elk does charge be prepared to use your bear spray. Try to move behind a large object (e.g. car, large tree) and keep the object between you and the elk. Remember to never approach elk: they are wild animals that need their space and they can react unpredictably!
Photo by Sandy Lane
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 and calmly leaving the area if they see elk or other wildlife on their commute to school.
Bears are not only found in warning and closure areas! If you are recreating anywhere in the Bow valley be prepared and on the lookout for wildlife as they can be encountered anywhere at anytime.
To reduce the risk of encounters with wildlife:
Make lots of noise in order to alert them to your presence.
Travel in tight groups.
Be aware of your surroundings (look and listen for wildlife and their signs, including tracks and scat). Avoid wearing earbuds, and slow down, especially near blind hills and corners.
Keep dogs on-leash and remember to pick up after your dogs as their feces can act as an attractant for bears.
Do not leave any garbage or food items that have a smell outside as they may attract wildlife.
Carry bear spray in an easily accessible location, know how to use it and be prepared to use it! Close encounters with bears can happen in seconds so you need to be ready. Bear spray has also been shown to be effective at deterring other wildlife such as cougars, wolves, coyotes and elk, and it should be carried along well-traveled trails in and around town.
Hunting season has started. Please be aware of your surroundings and stay clear of dead animals. Hunters should always carry and use bear spray as the first line of defense, even if they are carrying a gun.
CURRENT WARNINGS AND CLOSURES
Bear Closure - Rockwall Trail and the meadow located southeast of the Peter Lougheed Discovery Centre and extending 100 meters into timber around the meadow due to multiple bears in the area.
Bear Warning - Bow River Campground due to a black bear in the area.
Bear Warning - Mt. Kidd RV Park Campground including campsites, trails and the permanent house trailer park due to a black bear frequenting the area.
Bear Warning - Troll Falls, Hay Meadows, and Stoney Trail due to multiple bears frequenting the area.
Fox Warning - Sundance Lodges, campground and area due to a food conditioned red fox in the area. The fox has been approaching campers attempting to gain access to human food left in firepits, on picnic tables and in cooking areas.
Bear Warning - Kananaskis Village hotels and staff housing areas including the Village Rim trail, baseball diamond, and nearby circulation trails due to multiple black bears with cubs frequenting the area.
*Bears are not only found in closure or warning areas. You should always remain alert while walking, hiking, running and biking, and remember that bears can be encountered anytime, anywhere!
Here is a list of some Annual Closures in Kananaskis Country.
A complete list of all warnings and closures is available here for anyone visiting the Bow Valley, Kananaskis Country and Alberta Parks.
A complete list of all warnings and closures is available here for Banff National Park.
For more information on areas in the Bow Valley frequented by bears at this time of year visit our human-bear conflict summary map.
The information above 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.
AND NOW SOME PAWS-ITIVE NEWS
Last weekend the weather was beautiful and we had some of our amazing Volunteer Wildlife Ambassadors out at Ptarmigan Cirque and Pocaterra Ridge down in K-Country on Saturday. It was very busy and they spoke to over 450 outdoor enthusiasts eager to stretch their legs and enjoy the fall colours and fresh air. There were many families with young children and lots of people with dogs, and ALL were on leash. Owners were very receptive and understanding of the importance of keeping them on leash. They even ran into a Conservation Officer while hiking along Pocaterra Ridge who confirmed that all dogs they encountered were on leash.
Another paws-itive thing the volunteers noticed was that almost every hiking party they encountered had bear spray with them. These are all excellent proactive steps that hikers should be taking and it is great to see that our safety messaging is getting out there and making a difference to help keep bears wild and people safe! Good job everyone and please keep up the great work!
Photo courtesy of Paul Price
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