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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 (July 22-29, 2022)
(Banff National Park East Gate to Bow Valley Provincial Park)
Even though the berry crop is looking poor this year, it is berry season and there continues to be a lot of black bear activity in the Bow Valley as the bears are searching for the ripe berries. Be prepared and on the lookout for bears feeding on buffaloberries while you recreate, as many berry bushes are found along popular trails. Making lots of noise is the best way to alert bears of your presence and it gives them time to clear the area.
With the long weekend coming up, campers and day users need to be very diligent in securing wildlife attractants (garbage, food and other scented items) at night and during the day while away from their site. Garbage left at trail-heads and day use areas has also been a concern and please be reminded to take your waste to a bear proof bin, or if the garbage bin is full find another bin or pack your garbage out with you! We can’t prevent bears from walking through our picnic areas and campsites, but we can certainly do our best not to give them a food reward or reason to linger!
Mountain bikers need to be making lots of noise (yelling and shouting) on the trails, especially up at the Canmore Nordic Centre. Bears are feeding on berries very close to trails and bikers are coming up on them quickly with little warning to the bears. In addition to letting wildlife know they are coming down the trail (by making noise), bikers should slow down to avoid surprise encounters with wildlife, especially around blind corners, at the tops of hills, or in areas with thick vegetation and poor sight lines.
If you are going outdoors in the Bow Valley and K-Country it is very probable you may come into contact with a bear. Mentally prepare for this and understand how you should react! This includes carrying your bear spray, knowing how to use it and using it if the situation warrants it.
Bears will have their heads down focused on eating berries and not paying attention so it is up to us to make lots of noise to alert them of our presence to help avoid those surprise encounters.
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
With the large numbers of trail users this season, we can expect an increase in encounters between people and bears. You can help reduce this risk by staying out of closed areas, making lots of noise, travelling in groups, and keeping pets on a leash. It is also a good idea to “Know before you go” by finding out where the bear warnings are and planning accordingly; avoiding these areas can also reduce your risks of encounters. Trail users need to mentally prepare themselves to handle bear encounters and expect to run into a bear while out on the trails!
Some great tips from WildSmart about how to stay safe in bear country!
This human-bear conflict summary map for berry season gives you a good sense of the areas frequented by bears at this time of year in the Bow Valley.
WILDLIFE IN THE NEWS
Grizzly bear movements impacted by recreational trails in M.D. of Bighorn.
Berry season is here and residents and visitors need to be aware and make lots of noise!
New research shows landfills and climate change are increasing polar bear-human conflicts in the Arctic. Here is a link to the study.
Hibernating bears have a secret superpower hiding in their blood. There's something curious in the blood of black bears that allows them to hibernate for seven months a year while still remaining fit and healthy.
Watch this close encounter as a mama bear charges a woman after her curious cub keeps advancing toward her.
WILDLIFE AMBASSADOR WORDS OF WISDOM
"BUSTING BEAR MYTHS" BY DEREK RYDER, WILDLIFE AMBASSADOR
Myth#6: I’ll be safe on a trail because my friends and I talk while hiking.
Fact: We make noise in the wilderness so that we don’t sneak up on a bear. Bears that suddenly see us unexpectedly think we’re trying to attack them. That will get a bear to defend themselves even if we didn’t mean to do it. Our noise needs to be loud enough so that the bear hears us long before he sees us.
The trouble with chatting with your buddies on the trail is that you’re just not loud enough. You probably can’t be heard more than 20m away. If you’re only 20m away from a bear when it first hears you or finds out you’re there, that’s FAR too close. You never want to come closer than 100m to a bear.
You therefore want to make noise to be heard 100m away, and just talking isn’t good enough. Yelling out periodically is what you want to do. It doesn’t matter what you say, or what language you say it in (bears don’t speak English, no matter how much we try to teach them). You want to sound like a people, so don’t howl or hoot. A nice loud “Heeeeyyyyoooo” works well.
The trouble with chatting with your buddies on the trail is that you’re just not loud enough. You probably can’t be heard more than 20m away. Yelling out periodically is what you want to do. Archived photo from B.C. in 2019.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT?
We are in berry season and berry bushes are often found along trails, roads and campgrounds. Bears will be very focused on eating berries, so it is especially important to remember to make lots of noise to alert them of your presence. They take this feasting job very seriously, eating up to 200,000 berries per day and focusing on it for over 20 hours per day! As such, when bears are surprised they can respond defensively as they may feel threatened. We need to make extra noise and be vigilant (that means NOT wearing headphones/earbuds) when travelling through bear country.
Shepherdia canadensis, more commonly known as Buffaloberry.
Bear scat can be an indication of bear activity in the area. During berry season bear scat looks a lot like strawberry jam! Keep an eye out for it on the trails and do not linger in areas with fresh scat. If you do stumble upon some fresh scat out on the trails, remember to be extra vigilant, make extra noise to alert potential bears of your presence, and consider turning around if you are not prepared to handle a possible encounter with a bear.
A trail of bear scat during berry season!
As mentioned earlier, the berry crop this year is not looking great, which combined with the fact that other natural foods have been limited this year, means that bears will be looking for any rich food sources. As such, we all need to be extra diligent in securing attractants in our yards in Canmore. NOW is the time to remove unripe fruit (such as crabapple, mountain ash and chokecherry) from your trees before you have a bear in your tree. Leaving fruit in your trees can attract bears into residential areas, putting bears and people at risk. It is YOUR responsibility to make sure that bears do not have a reason to linger in your yard, as they will pay the price for our poor attractant management by getting relocated or destroyed.
An example of some unripe mountain ash fruit ready to be removed!
CURRENT VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
The Biosphere Institute is seeking a Volunteer Social Media Content Coordinator. This posting will remain open until this volunteer role is filled.
Volunteers needed to help promote reusable takeout containers at the Banff Farmer’s Market. Click on image to sign up!
AND NOW SOME PAWS-ITIVE NEWS
Brooks Falls in Alaska's Katmai National Park is the best place in the world to watch brown bears feasting on salmon as they swim upstream to spawn. Find out the best time to watch live and learn more about Katmai and its brown bears by clicking here!
The live webcam channel below shows the fish trying very hard to jump up the Brooks Falls and you may even see some bears taking advantage of the situation and grabbing an easy meal! Being fat for a bear is a good thing and will help them reproduce and survive the long winter hibernation. These bears are much bigger than the bears we have here in the Bow Valley because they are eating high protein fatty fish all day as opposed to the buffaloberries that our bears here are currently eating.
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