The Christina Lake Stewardship Society (CLSS) has initiated the 2011 Bear Aware Program within the Christina Lake area.
Stewardship Co-ordinator and Program Supervisor Brenda LaCroix is very happy to have the program here.
“As you know, our community has had some long-standing problems with interactions between humans and bears. This program will help us alleviate many of those problems,” said LaCroix.
Bear Aware is a community education program which focuses on managing food attractants in the form of garbage, fruit trees, bird feeders, pet foods, compost, barbecues, etc.
According to reports from the Revelstoke Bear Aware Society, in 2010 garbage was the highest contributor of attractants to bears at 65 per cent. Other factors within the Revelstoke community included fruit trees at 17 per cent, livestock at four per cent, compost at three per cent, pet food at two per cent, outdoor freezers and fridges at two per cent, and birdfeeders, vegetable gardens, train track corridors and spawning salmon habitats combined at seven per cent.
In British Columbia, hundreds of bears are destroyed each year due to our carelessness.
Bears are always looking for an easy meal and can become easily habituated. Bears that become habituated to humans can become bolder and more aggressive and will protect their food supply. This behaviour can be passed on from generation to generation. Approximately 1,000 black bears and 45 grizzly bears are killed each year.
Bear Aware is a program of the British Columbia Conservation Foundation (BCCF). The goal of Bear Aware is to reduce human and bear conflicts in residential areas in communities throughout British Columbia.
Since its inception in 1998, Bear Aware has been active in over 30 communities in B.C. The program has been effective in reducing the threat to human safety while reducing the need to destroy bears that have entered communities, looking for food.
In order to effectively deliver this program to our community, funding from the Ministry of Environment (Conservation Officer Service) was received as well as a generous donation from a concerned citizen from Victoria. To compliment this program, Ministry of Forests has dedicated staff time to participate in public education.
All funds have been directed towards the Bear Aware Kit (brochures, bookmarks, posters and manuals). Further funding is required to cover the expenses for training, a new travelling display and costs incurred for other handout materials.
Program delivery will be carried out by trained CLSS volunteers and ministry staff, who will be going door to door to help businesses and homeowners develop a Bear Proofing Plan for their property. Also, we will be setting up our travelling display in various locations during the spring and summer months to help educate the public about avoiding bear conflicts so that both the bears and our community are safe.
To keep you informed on our progress with this program, we will be providing media releases on a regular basis.
For further information, contact the Christina Lake Stewardship Society at 250-447-2504 or email us at clss@shaw.ca. Donations directed to this initiative will receive a charitable receipt.