1 north kootenay lake bear smart program final report - 2010 · 2013. 5. 9. · 1.1 program...

North Kootenay Lake Bear Smart Program Final Report - 2010 1

North Kootenay Lake Bear Smart Program Annual Report November 12th, 2010 Prepared by: Gillian Sanders, community coordinator [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 4 1.1 Program Information ......................................................................................................................... 4 1.2 Report Summary................................................................................................................................ 4 2.0 Community Profile..................................................................................................................... 5 2.1 Historic Situation................................................................................................................................ 5 2.2 Current Situation................................................................................................................................ 5 2.3 Bear Populations and Habitat ............................................................................................................ 6 2.4 Tracking Mortality Rates Due to Conflicts......................................................................................... 6 3.0 Program Delivery....................................................................................................................... 7 3.1 Presentations ..................................................................................................................................... 7 3.2 Electric Fencing……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 7 3.3 Bear Resistant Garbage or Feed Containers....................................................................................... 7 3.4 Fruit Harvesting................................................................................................................................... 7 3.5 Fruit Processing Workshops ............................................................................................................... 8 3.6 Fruit Tree Removal............................................................................................................................. 8 3.7 Public Displays.................................................................................................................................... 9 3.8 Media………………………......................................................................................................................... 9 3.9 Cooperation........................................................................................................................................ 9 3.10 Work with Conservation Officers..................................................................................................... 10 4.0 Barriers to the Program ............................................................................................................. 10 5.0 Recommendations ...................................................................................................................... 10 5.1 Electric Fencing for Small Livestock Owners and Orchards ................................................................ 10 5.2 Installing and Maintaining and Effective Electric Fence ..................................................................... 11 5.3 Less‐lethal Bear Management………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 11 5.4 Bear Management Map ...................................................................................................................... 11 6.0 Future of the Program................................................................................................................ 12 7.0 Acknowledgements.................................................................................................................... 12 Appendix 1.0 Letters of Support....................................................................................................... 14 Appendix 2.0 Newspaper articles and media releases..................................................................... 18 Appendix 3.0 Sponsor Thank-you.................................................................................................... 20


List of Figures Figure 1. Map of Meadow Creek with blue highlighting the spawning channel and Lardeau River and red highlighting the residential areas where ~120 grizzlies have been shot due to conflict since 1967. (mortalities confirmed by L. Butler, Conservation Officer, Aug 2. 2010)..................... 5 Figure 2 The number of PWOR calls and mortality rates due to conflict of black and grizzly bears from 2005-10. ...................................................................................................................... 7 Figure 3 Pear canning workshop at the LVCC kitchen.................................................................. 8 Figure 4 NKL Bear Smart display board. ...................................................................................... 9 Figure 5 Electric mesh fencing......................................................................................................11 List of Tables Table 1 Calls to the RAPP (Report All Poachers and Polluters) line call centre in Victoria for bear conflicts, also showing black bear (BB) and grizzly bear (GB) mortalities from 2005-2010……….6


1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Program Information The North Kootenay Lake Bear Smart Program aims to reduce human-bear conflict through education and attractant management. The main tools identified by the program coordinator to reduce bear conflicts in this area are protecting livestock and fruit trees with electric fencing and promoting the use of bear resistant garbage bins. Funding for the North Kootenay Lake Bear Smart Program in 2010 was received from BC Hydro’s Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program, the Regional District Central Kootenay, Columbia Basin Trust, BC Conservation Foundation’s Bear Aware Program, and the Village of Kaslo. The Bear Aware educational program has been delivered in Kaslo since 2005 and in the North Kootenay Lake area since 2006. Program activities have increased in Meadow Creek after the program coordinator moved to the north lake area in 2007. There has been a significant decrease in the number of black and grizzly bears destroyed in the area in the past 5 years. The program has partnered with many different community organizations and receives great support locally. The huckleberry crop in 2010 was not productive and the fall season brought more bears into conflict than in the past 2 years. A grizzly and at least 5 black bears were destroyed in Meadow Creek, and an additional 6 or 8 black bears in Kaslo area. There were 23 calls made from this area to the Report all Poachers and Polluters (PWOR) hotline, making 2010 one of the busiest seasons since the program began.

1.2 Report Summary This annual report is specifically for the Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program and provides a detailed description of program activities in the area around the Meadow Creek Spawning Channel. There was not much bear activity in the community in the 2010 spring season; leading me to believe that attractant management is improving in residential areas. The fall season became very busy because the natural huckleberry crop was scarce and bears were hungry and highly motivated to find food. In Meadow Creek grizzlies were sighted in every month except July. From August through mid-October grizzlies generally stay at the Channel or in the remote parts along Meadow Creek eating Kokanee. In late October and early November the Kokanee carcasses are gone (eaten or discinigrated) and bears are easily drawn to nearby residential attractants in their search for food before the winter denning period. On October 26th a male grizzly was shot at a residence near the spawning channel where it was attracted to offal and a hanging deer. Letters of support for the North Kootenay Lake Bear Smart Program are shown in Appendix 1.


2.0 COMMUNITY PROFILE

Figure 1. Map of Meadow Creek with blue highlighting the spawning channel and Lardeau River and red highlighting the residential areas where ~120 grizzlies have been shot due to conflict since 1967. (mortalities confirmed by L. Butler, Conservation Officer, Aug 2. 2010).

2.1 Historic Situation Many of the first Europeans in the North Kootenay Lake area were transient miners, but some stayed to build homesteads and orchards, making this area a major fruit producing region at the beginning of the last century. Black and grizzly bears have been regularly destroyed in the North Kootenay Lake area for decades due to human-bear conflict. The Lardeau River and the Kokanee spawning channel in Meadow Creek at the north estuary of Kootenay Lake support healthy salmon runs, providing bears with a reliable natural food source from August through October each year. There have been significant conflicts between residents and bears in this prime low elevation habitat since the first pioneers ‘settled’ the land. Between the building of the spawning channel in 1967 and 2005 there has been at least 2 and up to 7 grizzlies shot each year in the community. Approximately 120 grizzlies were shot by the same resident who was raising pigs and chickens directly beside Meadow Creek as it leads to the channel. This resident has passed on, but bears were (and are currently) also shot by other residents who have little (or zero) tolerance for grizzly bears near their homes.

2.2 Current Situation Tolerance towards grizzlies in Meadow Creek has increased in recent years due to the following identified factors: general cultural change towards large predators due to a changing demographic in the community, closure of the open-pit garbage landfill in 2001 that was located ~2km from the channel on the Lardeau River (now a transfer station with zero garbage available to bears at this site), less tolerance towards shooting grizzlies from the Conservation Officer Service, and greater awareness of bear behaviour and attractant management through the efforts of the North Kootenay Lake Bear Smart Program. The program has strong support in


Meadow Creek and Kaslo from community members, schools, businesses and local organizations and governments. There has been a noticeable decrease in available attractants in both communities and residents generally have an increased awareness of bear behaviour. The use of bear-resistant bins and electric fencing promoted through the program are working for residents in all situations where used and are helping to reduce bear activity on residential property.

2.3 Bear Populations and Habitat The North Kootenay Lake area provides both black and grizzly bears with excellent habitat. Meadow Creek provides excellent spring habitat in the valley bottom between the Purcells and Selkirks. The Meadow Creek Kokanee Spawning Channel has acted as an attractant sink for grizzly populations, though mortalities due to conflict in the community since 2005 have decreased.

2.4 Tracking mortality rates due to conflict

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Totals Calls to RAPP 24 80 57 46 4 23 234 BB mortality 3 14 11 2 2 8 40 GB mortality 2 1 2 0 0 1 6 Table 1. Calls to the RAPP (Report All Poachers and Polluters) line call centre in Victoria for bear conflicts in the North Kootenay Lake area, also showing black bear (BB) and grizzly bear (GB) mortalities from 2005-2010. All grizzly mortalities were in Meadow Creek. The number of calls reporting conflicts and also the number of mortalities are influenced annually by the availability of natural foods (i.e. huckleberries). 2005 and 2009 were abundant years for huckleberry production, whereas 2006 and 2010 produced few berries. In 2009 it seemed as though bear mortalities were becoming scarcer and the program coordinator thought this was due in part to increased attractant management. Grizzly mortalities due to conflicts were at 0 for 2008 and 2009 for the first time in decades, though a grizzly was shot on October 26th, 2010 in Meadow Creek by a resident.


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calls to RAPP

BB mortality

GB mortality

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Figure 2. The number of PWOR calls and mortality rates due to conflict of black and grizzly bears from 2005-10 in the North Kootenay Lake area.

3.0 Program Delivery 3.1 Presentations

Bear Aware Community Coordinator Gillian Sanders gave a bear presentation at the Langham on May Days weekend. There were 35 people attending, and there was a great response (lots of questions and support for program activities). Dr. Michael Proctor gave a presentation of his grizzly bear population work to residents who live along Meadow Creek and the Spawning Channel in March 2010.

3.2 Electric Fencing The use of well-installed and well maintained electric fencing is effective in keeping small livestock and fruit trees safe from bears. Bears that kill livestock are usually destroyed immediately, so this prevention is a valuable investment to reduce conflicts. In 2010 the program installed 10 electric fences to prevent conflict with bears. In all 10 cases, the fencing proved effective. Subsidies for the cost of six fences ($1500) in Meadow Creek were made available through the Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program.

3.3 Bear Resistant Garbage or Feed Containers Garbage management has been an issue in Meadow Creek for decades, though conflicts have reduced since the change from open-pit garbage landfill to transfer station in 2001. Residential garbage management is made more possible with the purchase or loan of bear-resistent garbage containers to residents. Five containers were purchased in 2010 for loan to residents in the Meadow Creek area with FWCP funds ($1200).

3.4 Fruit Harvesting

Responsible management of fruit trees is of primary importance in Kaslo and the North Kootenay Lake area. The Bear Smart Program coordinator is working in partnership with the North


Kootenay Lake (NKL) Fruit Tree Project.The NKL Fruit Tree Project is designed to link those with excess fruit (or those unable to harvest their fruit) in touch with volunteers who harvest the fruit for themselves.The fruit tree project manages to help feed local families while educating about bear smart practices. The windfall fruit is boxed up by residents and distributed by the program coordinator to livestock owners in the area, which plays a critical role in cleaning up excess fruit that would otherwise be available for bears. Part of the success of this project is attributed to local awareness of utilizing a food source that otherwise often goes to waste. Some residents enjoy feeding and watching wildlife, especially bears, in their backyards. There is a very real need for education: how the practice of “leaving the fruit to the bears” does not help bears but in fact often leads to their destruction. In Meadow Creek, apples directly across from and beside Jewett School and near the creek were harvested. Some fruit trees in the area were harvested through the Fruit Tree Project and the fruit was utilized by the Fruit Tree Project's canning workshops at the Lardeau Valley Community Center. 3.5 Fruit Processing Workshops A series of six fruit processing workshops were held at the Lardeau Vally Community Center’s certified kitchen for residents. These workshops were well-attended by mothers in the community and teach food-safe methods of processing excess fruit for their families’ winter use. These workshops serve to utilize excess fruit and, perhaps even more importantly, to raise great community support for the program and to educate about Bear Smart practises.

Figure 3. Pear canning workshop at the LVCC kitchen

3.6 Fruit Tree Removal There are many ‘rogue’ fruit trees in the area that have not been managed for decades that produce only small, scabby fruit. Nobody is interested in using this fruit and it continues to draw bears near residences. 2 fruit trees were removed along Meadow Creek road and there were 10 additional trees that had been identified for removal in 2009 that property owners were not willing to remove but were managed this season by the program coordinator.


3.7 Public

Displays Figure 4 Bear Smart Program display board The NKL Bear Smart Program promoted Bear Aware practises with the educational display board at the following events: Kaslo Saturday Market, every Saturday in Kaslo Kaslo Garden Festival May 24th Kaslo Jazz Festival Market July 30-Aug 1st Argenta Fall Faire, Argenta Community Hall, September 19th Lardeau Valley Fall Faire, Lardeau Valley Community Hall, September 26th

The program coordinator hosted a fruit press for making apple juice at the Lardeau Valley Fall Faire which was met with enthusiasm from community members looking for ways to process their apples not fit for winter storage.

3.8 Media The Pennywise, our local newspaper, sponsored weekly display ads in their paper. These ads keep residents informed of local bear activity and sightings and reminders on management of common bear attractants. The program also posted classified ads and additional display ads throughout the season. Ads were also used as notices for workshops, fruit harvesting, bear information, and upcoming events. The program coordinator submitted 2 editorials, participated in one newspaper interview in 2010, and one sponsorship thank-you (see Appendix 2 Newspaper articles and media releases).

3.9 Cooperation with the following Organizations and Community Members: The Kaslo Fruit Tree Project (with 70 community volunteers)


The Food Security Task Force, sponsored by North Kootenay Lake Community Services. The Pennywise, our local newspaper JV Humphries and Jewett Schools BC Conservation Corps BC Conservation Foundation Bear Aware Columbia Basin Trust Village of Kaslo Regional District of Central Kootenay Nelson and Regional Conservation Officers Kaslo RCMP Detachment Lardeau Valley Community Centre

3.10 Work with Conservation Officers I was in contact with Conservation Officer Len Butler throughout the season and responded to bear calls on his request. The program has strong support from the Nelson Conservation Officer Service. The program coordinator was in contact with Senior Officer Arnold DeBoon from Creston with regards to bear problems in my area, and responded to calls from the RAPP line upon his request. Though wildlife by-laws are not available at this time through the Regional District, The Village of Kaslo adopted a new wildlife attractant bylaw and also a new garbage bylaw in 2009. These bylaws are an excellent tool in ensuring bear attractants are managed in Kaslo and are the product of three years of work in this direction from the program. The existence of the by-laws in Kaslo help to educate all North Kootenay Lake residents on appropriate attractant management. Bylaws are available at http://kaslo.ihostez.com/Documents/DocumentList.aspx?ID=628

4.0 Barriers to Program Delivery The NKL Bear Smart Program and Fruit Tree Project are reliant on the outside funding necessary to continue implemention of the programs each year. A stable funding source would ensure the continued reduction of bear-human conflict in the future as human development increases. Tolerance towards bear presence is increasing in Meadow Creek but residents feel safer if bears do not hang around private property. Attractant management can reduce bear activity on private property but with the presence of the Spawning Channel and associated numbers of Kokanee (~600,000) bear presence will not decrease in the area. Less-lethal management methods are recommended for use to reduce grizzly mortality in the community while teaching bears to avoid residential areas.

5.0 Recommendations 5.1 Electric Fencing for Small Livestock Owners and Orchards

The use of well-installed and maintained electric fencing is probably the most effective method to keep bear attractants such as small livestock and fruit trees safe from bears. Since 2007 31 electric fences have been installed in the North Kootenay Lake area through the Bear Smart Program. All of these electric fences have been successful in deterring bears from fruit trees and/or livestock. Project coordinator’s time and funds as well as fencing subsidies are recommended to ensure that electric fencing will be properly installed.

http://kaslo.ihostez.com/Documents/DocumentList.aspx?ID=628


Figure 5. Electric mesh fencing around an apple tree on Meadow Creek (the creek itself is about 30 m away at the back of this property on Meadow Creek Road.

5.2 Installing and Maintaining an Effective Electric Fence When installing an electric fence as a bear deterrent a good ground rod connection and 4-6 steel wires (not the nylon/plastic variety used for grazing animals) spaced 8-10” is recommended. Alternatively, wire mesh can be hung from insulators, as shown above. Baiting the wire at a bear’s nose height (~18”) with a half cooked piece of greasy meat such as bacon or sausage will encourage a bear to touch the wire with its nose or mouth. This method is far more effective than giving a bear the shock through its thick fur. Replace the bait every 2 weeks to condition new bears that may come into the area. This is also a good time to walk your fence line to look for any shorts in electricity (usually caused by vegetation touching the fence wires and identified by a spark or a “clicking” sound). Twelve volt electric fencers for predator fencing are available from Margo Wildlife Supplies for $225.

5.3 Less-lethal bear management

The use of aversive conditioning and hazing techniques is applicable to the neighbourhood along Meadow Creek as it leads to the Spawning Channel. Karelian Bear dogs, rubber bullets and noisemakers can be applied in conjuction with the Conservation Officer Service to let bears know that they are not welcome in human neighbourhoods.These techniques have been used successfully in Montana, Idaho, Washington, Alberta and Alaska and can help establish a boundary to keep bears on the fish and out of people’s backyards. Along with residential attractant management, less-lethal management will serve to reduce grizzly mortality associated with the major attractant of the Spawning Channel. The Bear Management Map created in 2010 shows areas of conflict and denotes residential areas where there is little tolerance for bear activity. Less lethal management techniques are welcomed by residents in this area. 5.4 Bear Management Map The Bear Management Map was created in 2010 with funds from the FWCP to denote areas of conflicts in Meadow Creek. This map serves as a visual tool for bear managers, funding


agencies, and community members to understand the areas of conflict in Meadow Creek. This map is attached to this report in pdf format.

6.0 The Future of the North Kootenay Lake Bear Smart Program Community knowledge of bear behaviour and attractant management is increasing in Meadow Creek. The North Kootenay Lake Bear Smart Program is reliant on consistent funding that will provide the continuity necessary to continue Bear Aware education principles to the communities of the area. This funding will help to implement the recommendations of the author to mitigate bear-human conflict and reduce unnecessary bear deaths.The NKL Bear Smart Program and Fruit Tree Project have been well received and supported by community members, local politicians, schools, local RCMP, health professionals, local biologists, businesses, and the CO Service. There is widespread support for the continuation of these programs in the North Kootenay Lake Area and the community of Meadow Creek.

7.0 Acknowledgements The North Kootenay Lake Bear Smart Program and Fruit Tree Project wishes to thank the following organizations for their financial support, without which delivery of the program would have been impossible: Bear Aware; educational materials and support British Columbia Conservation Corps; administration British Columbia Conservation Foundation; administration Columbia Basin Trust; $10,000 wages The Village of Kaslo; $2,500 for office costs and advertising The Regional District of Central Kootenay; $3,000 for wages The Pennywise newspaper; $1,600 for advertising The Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program for wages, electric fencing subsidies, bear-resistent bins for loans, fruit harvesting, windfall pick-up, fruit processing workshops, and development of the Bear Management Map (attached). Thanks also go to the following supporters: Kaslo Food Security Project North Kootenay Lake Community Services Kaslo Saturday Market Kaslo RCMP Detachment Lardeau Valley Community Center Nelson District Conservation Officers Dr. Joanne Siderius Dr. Michael Proctor And most of all,


. To the bears, Just for being themselves. Appendix 1.0 Letters of Support

October 20th, 2010 To Whom It May Concern: Re: Support for the North Kootenay Lake Bear Smart Program 2011 Thank you for the opportunity to comment and provide support to Bear Aware/Bear Smart program for the Kaslo area. The Conservation Officer Service is responsible for public safety regarding wildlife/human conflict and up to fifteen percent of an officer’s time is spent on this activity annually. Over the past thirty years or so Conservation Officers have responded to bear complaints by sometimes relocating but normally destroying bears, doing little to resolve the cause of the problem, why the bear was there in the first place. The West Kootenay is no exception, with Conservation Officers, public and police some years destroying over two hundred bears. To reduce the number of bears being destroyed, a different approach was initiated over the past ten years or so, where members of the public, government and non-government agencies group together to educate the public on ways to reduce bear/human conflict. This Bear Aware/Bear Smart program provides assistance through valuable public education programs in an attempt to change human behavior, to bear proof communities, and to enable people to better deal with bear human interactions. This program through Gillian Sanders in the Kaslo area has been very active over the past four years. Some of the programs which Ms. Sanders has worked on are as follows: Preparation of a Hazard Assessment Plan and a Bear Human conflict Management Plan for Kaslo, two requirements for a Bear Smart Community; Drafting these same plans for the Communities of Mirror Lake and Meadow Creek; Continued Bear Aware Education program in schools and the community; Working with amending bylaws in the Village of Kaslo to reduce bear-human conflict; Hired by Bear Aware to be the Program Delivery Specialist for Kaslo and area in 2008; Working towards implementing a bear proof waste management system for Kaslo; Initiating and coordinating the North Kootenay Lake Fruit Tree Project, which links people with excess fruit to volunteers who harvest the fruit for themselves. This reduces the amount of unused fruit that otherwise attracts bears to human settlements; Attending specific locations providing information on methods of reducing bear/human conflict such as securely storing garbage, picking fruit and managing bird feeders; Making presentations at public functions/markets where bear/human conflict is discussed with people attending these functions.

_______Bear Management Areas Prime spring habitat Kokanee spawning stream Grizzlies feeding on Kokanee

Livestock Livestock with electric fencing

Fruit tree(s) Fruit tree(s) with electric fencing Fruit tree(s) managed by resident or program


Educating and assisting farmers, ranchers and orchardests on the use of electric fencing to prevent losses from bears. The Conservation Officer Service will continue to deal with problem wildlife by setting bear traps, destroying bears, issuing Dangerous Wildlife Protection Orders, and providing advice to the public on bear/human conflict. However, Bear Aware/Bear Smart programs in communities have become a more important resource in reducing bear human conflict. Ms Sanders has been very dedicated and committed with the Bear Aware program in Kaslo and area. Her efforts have reduced the number of bears the Conservation Officer Service has had to destroy, plus have educated people on how to reduce bear/human conflict. Her contribution to the program has also dramatically increased public safety in Kaslo and Meadow Creek. Yours sincerely, Len Butler Conservation Officer West Kootenay Zone 250-354-6360


Dr. Michael Proctor PO Box 606 Kaslo, BC V0G 1M0 October 28, 2010 To Whom It May Concern: RE: Support for Gillian Sanders, coordinator of the North Kootenay Lake Bear Smart Program and Fruit Tree Project (Feeding Families, Not Bears) I am a research scientist who has studied grizzly and black bears in southeast British Columbia for the past 15 years. I am currently working on applied research and management to improve the status of grizzly bears in the trans-border area of the southern Kootenay region. Through this work I am very familiar with management actions that make a difference to bear populations. The single most effective goal for grizzly bears is to reduce human-caused mortality. In this region, most unnecessary bear mortalities (black and grizzly) are caused by bears being attracted to human food sources such as garbage, livestock or fruit trees. The North Kootenay Lake Bear Smart Program and Fruit Tree Project are important and effective tools in the effort to reduce unnecessary bear mortalities. From a bear population perspective they help to minimize bear mortality (a problem for regional grizzly bear populations). From a human perspective they help to reduce human-bear conflict for both bear species, an important goal in learning to coexist with large carnivores. The Fruit Tree Project not only reduces excess fruit available to bears, it provides access to fresh local fruit for local community members and inspires community stewardship of our local food sources while conserving wildlife. I believe it is an essential link to the effectiveness of the Bear Smart Program in the North Kootenay Lake area. In the past few years Gillian has worked with Conservation Officers using electric fences to reduce human-bear conflicts. This initiative proved effective in all cases where residents took the effort seriously. This fencing program has been responsible for repelling many grizzly bears from potential conflict with livestock and helped educate a few landowners about keeping bear attractants under control. Continuing and expanding the electric fencing program to residents raising small livestock and/or fruit trees is essential for the long-term conservation of grizzly populations. Gillian Sanders coordinated these projects with excellent results. There is a growing awareness of what attracts bears to our community and how to prevent conflict. The continued outreach to communities such as Meadow Creek is an identified need in the area. I have hired Gillian to work for me on bear research projects for the past 6 years. Through this work she has developed a keen appreciation for the delicate public relations perspective required for successful bear management work and community education. She is a dedicated and enthusiastic individual who will do a good job in continuing the Bear Smart Program and Fruit Tree Project in Kaslo and the North Kootenay Lake area. I support her efforts to continue and expand these programs and offer any expertise I may offer in her work. Sincerely, Michael Proctor

Appendix 2 Newspaper articles and media releases: 20 COMMUNITY The Valley Voice November 3, 2010 Grizzly bear shot in Meadow Creek By Jan McMurray A grizzly bear was shot in Meadow Creek by a resident at about 1 am on October 26. Arnold Deboon, Sergeant for the Conservation Officer Service in the West Kootenay, reported that the bear was attracted to a deer the resident had killed during hunting season and had hung in his woodshed. The resident scared the bear off and brought the deer into his house, and poured bleach in the woodshed to eliminate the scent of the deer. The bear returned however, and attempts to scare it off were unsuccessful, so the resident shot and killed it. “I do not enjoy having to shoot a bear, but felt I had no choice in the matter,” said the resident. Deboon said the bear was a male grizzly, around 300 lbs., probably four to six years old. “The Wildlife Act allows you to shoot animals that are a danger to your domestic stock and property,” said Deboon. “As this bear was interested in what was inside the house, you can lawfully shoot the bear as long as you report it. This person reported it very soon after destroying it. While we don’t encourage it, we certainly understand it has to be done.” Deboon notified Dr. Michael Procter, local grizzly bear researcher, who went to Meadow Creek and took some DNA samples. The hide and skull were salvaged and will be used for interpretation purposes with the North Kootenay Lake Bear Smart Program. Gillian Sanders, Bear Smart Program Coordinator, says the program provides residents with tools to manage bear attractants, such as bear-resistant garbage bins and electric fencing. She says she has developed a style of fencing that would probably work for a hanging deer. She is also willing to pursue the idea of a community bear-safe meat storage facility if people are interested. Sanders encourages North Kootenay Lake residents to contact her at nklbearsmart@ gmail.com or 250-353-1137. Deboon encourages people to report bear problems to the 24-hour reporting line: 1-877-952-7277. He says Conservation Officers first try to deal with bear-human conflicts by helping people manage attractants. If there is a public safety issue, such as a bear hanging around a school trying to get inside, officers will trap the bear. Habituated black bears are destroyed, but grizzlies are re-located unless they’ve killed livestock or done damage. The Pennywise October 14th, 2010 Bear Breaks into Back Room of House in Lower Kaslo At about 12:30am on October 9th, a black bear forced entry to the back laundry room of a house in Lower Kaslo. The resident was home in the other area of the house behind a closed door. When the door to outside shut behind the bear, the animal panicked and created additional property damage to escape. The bear had received about a ½ cup of cat food in the room 2 weeks prior to the incident when the resident had left the outside door ajar in the daytime and was feeding her cats on top of the dryer. Though the bear had received no additional food at this residence, the memory of the cat food was strong enough to draw it back into this location. A trap has been set by the Conservation Officer Service and the bear will be destroyed. There have been several incidences of bears breaking into sheds to get at stored garbage. BY STORING GARBAGE IN A SHED THAT IS NOT BEAR PROOF, YOU ARE TEACHING BEARS TO BREAK OPEN STRUCTURES TO RECIEVE FOOD. This obviously creates a greater concern for human safety, and bears that have learned to break into human structures are destroyed. “Bears have amazing memories when it comes to finding food,

and while they normally will not enter buildings, the smell of garbage or other attractants may overcome their natural wariness,”, says North Kootenay Lake Bear Smart Program Coordinator Gillian Sanders. “On years when natural foods are not abundant, we need to be even more diligent with management of bear attractants. Bears love to eat pet food, fruit, garbage, birdseed, compost, and other foods. They are trying to get fat enough to survive the winter but food supplied by humans leads to behaviour that is unsafe for both people and bears”. Residents are reminded that if they see a bear not to panic or run from a bear. Move slowly to a safe place and always leave the bear with a clear escape route. For more information on bear safety please watch “Staying Safe in Bear Country” and “Living in Bear Country”; these DVDs are available from the Kaslo Library. Visit www.bearaware.bc.ca or www.bearsmart.com for additional information. Locally please contact the North Kootenay Lake Bear Smart Program; email [email protected] or phone 250-353-1137. The North Kootenay Lake Bear Smart Program is supported by the Village of Kaslo, RDCK, Columbia Basin Trust, BC Conservation Foundation’s Bear Aware program, and the Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program.

http://www.bearaware.bc.ca/

http://www.bearsmart.com/

mailto:[email protected]

Appendix 3 Sponsor Thank-you The Pennywise, Nov.30, 2010