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 SUMMARY
(Banff National Park East Gate to Bow Valley Provincial Park) For the period: April 30 to May 7, 2021
Bear sightings continue to slowly increase on both sides of the valley as a black bear was seen in the Three Sisters Area and a grizzly bear was seen along the river near Canmore. Both types of bears have also been spotted down in Kananaskis Country this past week. Mother bears will continue to emerge from their dens with their cubs. Give these new mothers and their young lots of space!
CURRENT WARNINGS AND CLOSURES
Food for Thought?
What are the Bears eating today? Part 1 in a Series by Derek Ryder, Volunteer Wildlife Ambassador & IGA Interpretive Guide
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. In this series of articles, once a month we’re going to look at what bears are eating right now and for the next few weeks.
Bears are omnivores, but while they love the ability to get a good protein source like an elk or a deer, almost 80% of a bear’s diet is fruits and vegetables. This is true of both grizzly bears and black bears in the Bow Valley. Most people know that bears love berries, but it isn’t berry season in May. So what ARE bears eating this month?
By now most bears have emerged from their dens and through the month of May, they’ll leave the higher alpine environments where they den, and move down to the snow free valley bottoms, so bear sightings and encounters will increase through the month. Along the way down from the alpine, if they can find a carcass of something killed over the winter by an avalanche, they’ll be very happy. However, there are no guarantees for that to happen, so most bears will rely on their rooty diets. One plant they will go after that does have berries at this time of year is kinnikinnik.
Evergreen, ground-covering mats of kinnikinnik are everywhere around here, and it’s a plant worth learning to recognize. While they prefer the sunny montane slopes, I’ve seen the plant in dark drier areas all the way up to almost the high alpine. The dark green oval leaves virtually cover the entire plant, hiding the woody stems underneath. Sometimes, the leaves will change colour a bit over the winter, ending up almost purple, but they seem to go back to green fairly quickly in the spring.
The plant flowers early, often in early April, and the flowers stay on until late May. The flowers themselves are quite small and look like small bells, whitish with pink edges. These flowers eventually turn into small red berries that earn the plant the more common name of bearberry. Those berries will eventually turn a dark blue or black.
While the berries themselves are very popular with birds and other animals, how appealing they are to bears depends on whom you talk to. Ben Gadd notes that bears seem to like the roots of the plants more than the berries. Many Indigenous people believe that bears only eat the berries when they’re unwell. The berries will stay on the plant over the winter, and some sources claim that the sugar (and the flavour) of the berries improves after having been frozen all winter. Perhaps this is why they seem more common in early season bear scat, where the berries seem to come out whole and any colour from red to black, suggesting they’re not digested too well. Kinnikinnik is possibly the most important plant food source straight out of denning.
The berries are edible for humans, but are dry, mealy and mostly tasteless, and eating too many results in constipation. Pound them with Saskatoon berries and animal fat and you have the original pemmican. Indigenous people often cooked them mixed with grease or eggs; tea can be made from the berries and leaves, but too much tea results in stomach and liver problems. Strong tea was used to induce labour. The name kinnikinnik is Algonquin for “smoking mixture” as the dried leaves were used to cut tobacco or smoked on their own. They’re also high in tannin, and were used to tan hides. Various Indigenous peoples used bearberry to treat kidney diseases, turned the leaves into a salve for skin diseases or for sore gums.
So as we go through May, see if you can find some kinnikinnik, including the flowers and berries. And if you see a pile of scat, grab a stick and poke around in it to see if you can find some red, blue or black kinnikinnik berries. The photo is of fresh bear scat, and it was taken on February 6, 2015, a year when spring came for a while (winter did come back) and a few bears got up early for a bit.
SOME THINGS TO ‘BEAR’ IN MIND
At this time of the year, bears are emerging from their dens hungry, and are often found in the valley bottoms looking for foods such as fresh shoots, roots, bulbs, and dandelions. People are also emerging form their winter hibernation and looking to enjoy some warmer weather and fresh air. With numerous outdoor recreation activities to partake in, not only in the valley but also at higher elevations there is increased chances of encountering bears as people are spread out all over the place. As such, all recreationists should always be expecting to encounter bears and mentally plan for this, which includes carrying bear spray and being prepared to use it.
Other ways to reduce the risk of close encounters with wildlife are:
Make lots of noise to alert wildlife to your presence and give them time to move off the trail.
Travel in a group (while maintaining social distance), keep children close by and avoid heading out at dusk, dawn or night when wildlife is most active.
GIVE WILDLFIE SPACE! Physical distancing is important for humans AND wildlife! Do not enter closed areas!
Look and listen for signs of wildlife and do not wear earbuds/headphones. It is important that you are able to hear what is going on around you!
KEEP DOGS ON A LEASH unless you are in a designated off-leash dog area. Remember to pick up after your dogs as their feces can act as an attractant for bears, and do not leave dog poop bags on the trail!
Whenever you head outdoors in bear country, you should always carry bear spray in an easily accessible location and be prepared to use it. DO NOT CARRY IT IN YOUR BACKPACK! Make sure it is not expired, and it should be carried while walking on well-travelled trails, including the trails in and around town; it is also effective against non-hibernating wildlife such as cougars, wolves, coyotes and elk.
Include Conservation Pass INformation here too
Alberta Environment and Parks recently posted this article about the Challenging Visitation Increase to Kananaskis in 2020. It highlights some of the important issues/challenges that K-Country faced last year, and will likely face again this year. It also provides some simple guidance on things that visitors can do to help keep the parks clean, safe and enjoyable for humans and wildlife!
AND NOW SOME PAWS-ITIVE NEWS
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