Conservation Officer Service

Bear Aware

Bear-Tolerant Communities

Revelstoke

Background

Revelstoke is located in the interior of Eastern British Columbia in the Kootenay region. There are large, healthy populations of black and grizzly bears living in this area and every year Conservation Officers receive many complaints from landowners about "problem" bears. Between 1986 and 1995, Conservation Officers had to destroy 250 black bears and 17 grizzlies in the Revelstoke area alone (Proctor and Neumeier 1996).

Problems with bears in Revelstoke escalated in 1994 when an electric fence was installed around the landfill site. Conservation Officers had tried to avoid problems by relocating a large number of bears before fencing the landfill, but unfortunately the dump closure coincided with a poor berry crop (a significant food source for bears). Many bears, including grizzlies, came into town looking for food and were destroyed by Conservation Officers. People in the community were outraged by this mass killing of bears. Some concerned citizens responded to this public outcry by organizing a meeting with key stakeholders to help find alternative approaches to local bear management.

Local Actions

The key stakeholders met and formed the Revelstoke Bear Management Committee. This group consisted of the Friends of Mount Revelstoke and Glacier National Parks (FMRG), Save the Bears Society, the Rod and Gun Club, the RCMP, the Columbia Shuswap Regional District, the City of Revelstoke, the Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, the Ministry of Forests, Parks Canada and B.C. Hydro. Through this planning committee, a bear manager was hired for six months to develop and implement a community based education program. The objective of the program was to eliminate bear attractants in the community.

The bear manager identified the vacant lots with fruit trees and contacted the owners for permission to remove them; talked to bee keepers in the area about bear-proofing their aviaries; visited restaurants and food stores to discuss ways to bear-resist their garbage containers; and contacted a number of groups to ask for donations to help purchase bear-resistant community garbage bins. He advised the public to remove bear attractants through public broadcasting, newspaper articles, local presentations, a door-to-door campaign and information pamphlets (distributed at the visitor campgrounds).

Outcomes

Since the outreach program, Revelstoke has implemented a bylaw limiting garbage handling and disposal. Garbage bins can only be placed on the streets or lanes between 6am and 7pm on the day of collection.

Residents have reduced the number of bear attractants in the community (although there are still problems). The result is that fewer bears are being destroyed and this progress is due to the hard work of the Revelstoke Bear Management committee, various government agencies and concerned residents.

Whistler

Whistler is a picturesque, ski resort town located in the Coastal Mountain Ranges near Vancouver. It is a popular four-season destination, with over 800,000 tourists visiting during the summer months.

The Resort Municipality was built in prime bear habitat. In the Whistler Valley and surrounding mountains there is approximately one black bear for every square kilometer. This large black bear population has led to increasing problems for the Whistler community. Black bears are lured into residential / commercial areas by garbage and other non-natural food sources. Bear problems are intensified when tourists, who aren't used to living in bear country, fail to properly store their garbage.

To respond to garbage management problems, the municipality has implemented a bylaw that requires residents and tourists to drop off their garbage and recycling at one of two "bear-proof" depots. A private contractor is hired by hotels, multi-family dwellings and commercial sites to pick up their garbage. Also, the municipality has provided bear-proof garbage bins for the sidewalks and an electric fence around the landfill site.

Local Actions

In 1995, a non-governmental organization called the Jennifer Jones Whistler Bear Foundation was formed to help the Conservation Officer Service manage "problem" bears. Initially, the Foundation focused on translocating bears, but after limited success they shifted their efforts to public education. The organization strives to increase public awareness of bears in the community and teaches people how to properly manage bear attractants. They educate the public through pamphlets, signage on hiking/biking trails, radio ads, local television, newspaper articles and guest lectures. The Jennifer Jones Foundation also helped to fund the landfill electric fencing and the "bear-proof" sidewalk garbage bins.

In 1997, The Black Bear Task Team was established by a volunteer group of key stakeholders. This team includes the Jennifer Jones Whistler Bear Foundation, Aware (the Association of Whistler Area Residents for the Environment), the Resort Municipality of Whistler, the Squamish COS, the Whistler RCMP, Whistler Bylaw Enforcement, Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, local businesses and concerned community members. The Black Bear Task Team developed a black bear management plan and is currently involved with public education, waste management and non-lethal bear management (using deterrents to teach bears to avoid humans or garbage).

A Unique Community

In Whistler, "problem" bears continue to exist, but some real progress has been made in "bear-proofing" the village. The community has successfully come together to develop solutions which address bear problems.

Whistler is unique, however, because the municipality has a high enough tax base to deal with bear problems. Private businesses and organizations such as the Jennifer Jones Whistler Bear Foundation also provide funding and support for bear management projects. For these reasons, Whistler is different from most B.C. communities, but it still provides valuable lessons for others to learn from.

British Columbia Conservation Foundation (BCCF)

The British Columbia Conservation Foundation is a not-for-profit society and federally registered charity dedicated to the conservation, enhancement and restoration of fisheries, wildlife and forestry resources. Through their Bear Awareness program, the Foundation works to help communities reduce bear problems. In 1999, the Foundation delivered or assisted with programs in Kamloops, Nelson, Castlegar, Rossland, Fernie, Elkford and Kimberly. Numerous other B.C. communities and organizations are expressing interest in working with the Foundation to bring a program to their area.

For more information about BCCF's Bear Awareness program, you can find them on the web at Bear Aware British Columbia