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: August 13 to August 20, 2021
Multiple bears have been seen throughout the Bow Valley (on both sides of the valley), in and around Canmore, in residential areas and in the nearby MD of Bighorn hamlets.
In addition to eating buffaloberries, black bears are keying in on the Dogwood berries so we are seeing an increase in black bear activity in areas where Dogwood berries are present. A black bear family was also seen feeding on cherries up in a fruit tree in Canmore’s Larch Area near the river trails. Due to the less than ideal berry crop this year, bears seem to be hanging out in the valley bottoms near residential areas and will likely turn their attention to additional types of fruit trees such as Mountain Ash and Crabapple in and around town.
These are common fruits/berries that attract bears into residential areas (pictured clockwise from top left); Chokecherry, Crabapples, Dogwood and Mountain Ash.
While bears are focused on eating berries it is very important for residents and visitors heading into bear country to make lots of noise to alert wildlife of your presence, keep pets on a leash and carry bear spray in an easily accessible location! From various sources, we are getting reports that numerous people biking or jogging along the river trails in Canmore are wearing headphones, not making any noise and not carrying bear spray.
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
Watching for Bear Signs – Flipped Rocks by Derek Ryder, Wildlife Ambassador and IGA Interpretive Guide
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 of where they’ve been – 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. In this series of articles, I’m going to help you learn about some of the signs bears leave in the forest.
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.
Flipped rocks often come in “clusters”. I was doing some work at Rock Glacier in late July, and one morning, found a line of flipped rocks stretching the entire width of the glacier (with a pile of bear scat at the end of it). The bears travelling across the rocky grasses flipped over at least 30 big rocks as they went. The ground was dry and hard; they left no footprints. However, the flipped rock string was obvious. The spring is another time I’ve seen many, many rocks flipped in a small area. Spring food for bears isn’t the best, so a 5,000-member ant colony is a pretty nice find.
If you see flipped rocks, look carefully. Is the ground where the rock used to be still damp? Are the grasses under the rock still green? If you flip the rock back over, are there still ants around, and do the grasses spring back upright? These are all signs that the rock was flipped VERY recently. The grasses underneath will start to yellow and die within 48 hours, and the soil where the rock used to be will dry in 4-6 hours in the sunshine. Flipped rocks are far more common than you think, especially in times like these with a very poor berry crop. But you need to watch for them. None of the folks that stopped by Rock Glacier when I was there even noticed the flipped rocks at all. When I pointed them out, few knew what it meant. Don’t be like them.
WILDLIFE IN THE NEWS
Read about how Alberta Fish and Wildlife officers in Fort McMurray have euthanized 25 bears and relocated 16 bears that wandered into residential neighbourhoods as of Aug. 13.
A Squamish, B.C. woman was swatted by a black bear, likely drawn to the area by fruit trees in nearby backyards!
Bears are entering hyperphagia — where they eat 20,000 calories each day to fatten up for winter.
Parks Canada has killed a young bison that wandered out of Banff National Park onto Alberta provincial lands.
Food for Thought?
Berry bushes and fruit trees are the main attractants drawing bears into residential areas and NOW is the time to remove these attractants from your yard before you have a bear in your tree. Leaving fruit (such as crabapple, mountain ash, chokecherry and dogwood) in your trees can attract bears into residential areas, putting bears and people at risk. The best practice is to remove fruit bearing trees and shrubs from your yard, however if you decide to keep your fruit bearing trees and shrubs, please ensure the fruit is removed.
If you are renting or live in a condo complex, please contact your landlord or condo board/association and notify them if there are trees with fruits and berries on the property so they can arrange to either remove the trees or ensure the fruit is removed. If you can’t reach that fruit up in the tree, no problem! We have pruning shears and extendable fruit pickers that can be borrowed free of charge to allow Bow Valley residents to remove fruit and berries from their trees. Please send an email to info@wildsmart.ca to make arrangements to borrow the fruit picking equipment.
Image downloaded from August 12 edition of the Rocky Mountain Outlook.
If you prefer to remove your fruit tree, the Town of Canmore is running a Voluntary Fruit Tree Removal Incentive Program. More information and details about how to participate can be found on their website.
For more information on areas in the Bow Valley frequented by bears at this time of year visit our human-bear conflict summary map.
AND NOW SOME PAWS-ITIVE NEWS
Wildlife Ambassador Derek has some great videos below about Shepherdia, more commonly known as Buffaloberry.
It's the plant bears dream about all year long. The berries make up a HUGE percentage of the bear's food in July and August. It's the plant with 3 names, and yes, you can make soap with it.
There's a tiny bit of goodness in each shepherdia berry. Here's how YOU can try it without getting a mouthful of soap!
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