BEAR ACTIVITY SUMMARY FOR THE BOW VALLEY
(Banff National Park East Gate to Bow Valley Provincial Park) For the period: August 28 to September 4, 2020
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.
AND NOW SOME PAWS-ITIVE NEWS
We are excited to partner with Ruckusdesign to offer seven different face masks in a variety of styles and sizes. Each mask has a unique slogan related to improving human-wildlife coexistence and a portion of the sale of each mask will be donated to WildSmart! The masks will be available for purchase at www.ruckusdesign.ca beginning September 6th.
Ruckusdesign creates and sells unique felt hats and leather or canvas bags. The bags have photographs, embroidery or art; often personalized for clients. The economic halt due to COVID-19 presented an opportunity to be creative in a new area, that of reusable face masks. Ruckusdesign will transfer anything from company logo, your own photograph, or a favorite saying on to 100% cotton fabric. There are several designs to choose from - adult to child. The goal is to create something that fits and is comfortable to wear.
You will be seeing our Volunteer Wildlife Ambassadors out on the trails wearing these awesome face masks so this is your chance to be safe, help spread important coexistence messages and support WildSmart all at the same time!
SUMMARY
Bear activity continues to be high with bears still focused on feeding on the remaining berries, especially down in K-Country. They are doing their best to pack on as many pounds as possible in preparation for heading into their dens later this fall. Be prepared to encounter bears out on the landscape whether you are in the backcountry or front country within parks and public lands. You can proactively give them the space they need to feed undisturbed by avoiding areas where bears have been seen or where active warnings have been put in place!
The elk rutting season has begun so male elk are particularly protective of the female elk they are with. Give plenty of space to ALL ELK (at least 30 metres or 3 bus lengths), never get between a male elk and the female elk, keep pets on a leash and if an elk charges, place a large object (e.g. car, large tree) between you and the elk. Remember to carry bear spray in an easily accessible location, even along the well-travelled trails near town, and never approach elk to take pictures up close as they are wild animals that need their space and they can react unpredictably!
Do not try to sneak past elk along the trail! Photo by Sandy Lane
It’s a long weekend and the last one of summer! Don’t be part of the problem, be part of the solution by not leaving garbage out on the trails and day use areas. You can help out by bringing some gloves and a garbage bag and picking up litter when out in the parks and public lands. If you plan on doing some camping, remember to keep your campsite clean and garbage free! Make sure that bear attractants such as garbage, food and scented items are kept in vehicles or hard-sided campers while camping. If you are camping in the backcountry, please use the bear proof lockers and bear hangs (if provided), or properly hang your food and garbage in a bear bag from a tree. Plan your campsite appropriately (see the “Bear”-muda Triangle below) and ensure proper separation of cooking area, tent site and food storage.
Here is an example of a proper backcountry campsite set-up
What are the Bears eating today? Part 5 in a Series by Derek Ryder, 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 bears’ homes: their living areas, dining areas, and even their bathrooms. Recognizing food 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, each month, we’re going to look at what bears are eating right now, and for the next few weeks.
In case you haven’t noticed, it’s getting colder and (shudder) the leaves are turning. The high alpine is already seeing overnight freezes. However, anyone who has been in places like Upper Kananaskis Lake recently knows that the shepherdia berries are still looking good despite this. Shepherdia season actually runs 6 weeks or more, and is still on, as you can see by this grizzly bear I saw enjoying his berries on September 1st. This will last about another two weeks, and then berry season is done. But the bears are nowhere near denning yet. So what’s next for our ursine friends? The research says the diets of grizzlies and black bears are starting to diverge, based on habitat.
The forest-dwelling black bears go back to eating Bearberry or Kinnikinnik, which I wrote about as a primary spring food for them back in May when this series started. If they can find them, they also get Huckleberries (various species of vaccinium), which are not all that common here (they’re more common as you go south into the USA) but are plentiful (and delicious) in the right places. I was up at Elk Pass in mid-August and found a VERY big patch there, complete with bear scat full of Huckleberries. They also target another plant, which the grizzly bears are after, too.
Grizzlies will start moving out of the valleys and up towards the alpine. The first and easiest plant they’ll find is Cow Parsnip with their tall, distinctive white flowers. Remember, bears hunt with their noses and Cow Parsnip flowers…stink. Find a marshy, wet spot anywhere, and you’ll find Cow Parsnip. You can’t miss it at this time of year; it grows 6’ tall.
Interestingly, the same way black bears eat kinnikinnik spring and fall, grizzlies eat Cow Parsnip in those windows as well (black bears seem to prefer their Cow Parsnip earlier in the year, though). All parts of the Cow Parsnip are edible for bears. Stems and roots are high in fibre but low in protein, only on the order of 10%; leaves are up to 30% protein. However, given their druthers (and a lot of Cow Parsnip), they’ll first eat the stems, next dig up the roots, and skip leaves entirely. One dead giveaway a bear has been chowing down on Cow Parsnip is a sea of dead Cow Parsnip leaves around chopped off stems. That’s a common sight in mid-to late-September in places like the Commonwealth Valley on the way to the Birdwood Lakes, or in Pocaterra & Ptarmigan Cirque – where everyone goes to see larches at that time! It’s no wonder we have conflicts at larch season.
Cow Parsnip may be good for bears, but it’s not wise for you to touch it. It contains furanocoumarins in the plant’s sap. Get that on your skin and expose it to a bit of sunlight and I guarantee you’ll get itchy, red rashes and possibly blisters. The Bow Valley Stewards remove Cow Parsnip from places like Camp Chief Hector, and whenever we do that, we almost have to wear hazmat suits.
That having been said, if you can figure out how NOT to get sap on you, Cow Parsnip is really edible. Peel the outer stem, and you can eat the inner stem raw or by cooking it. Dig up the roots and you have yourself something similar to a parsnip (probably why they’re called Cow Parsnip, but I’m not enough of a biologist to know if the two plants are related). If you see dead Cow Parsnip stems, you’ll note they are fibrous, tough and hollow; you can make flutes and whistles from them, but realize those furanocoumarins may still be there and your lips could sting.
If you’re going larch-peeping, keep your eyes out for Cow Parsnip. If you see a dense patch like the one in the picture (and yes, every white dot is a Cow Parsnip, and most aren’t even flowering), make a ton of noise, and watch for tall plants swaying where they shouldn’t be. Watch along your way for giant dead leaves and possibly dug up plants. These are the dead giveaways you’ve just walked into a bear’s dining room, and they aren’t paying attention to you.
CURRENT WARNINGS AND CLOSURES
There is a bear warning in the area along the Powerline Trail between Peaks of Grassi and the Quarry Lake off-leash dog pond due to a surprise close range encounter that a group of four people had with a black bear last month. The bear was likely startled while feeding on berries.
Click here for the complete list of all Alberta Parks warnings and closures in the Bow Valley and Kananaskis Country.
Click here for the complete list of all warnings and closures in Banff National Park.
Here is a list of some Annual Closures in Kananaskis Country.
Click here for current information from Alberta Parks about visiting their parks during COVID-19. Click here for current information from Parks Canada about visiting their parks during COVID-19.
For more information on areas in the Bow Valley frequented by bears at this time of year, visit our human-bear conflict summary map.
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