Bear Activity: July 1 to 7, 2011

BEAR SUMMARY FOR THE BOW VALLEY
(Banff National Park to Bow Valley Provincial Park)

For the Period: July 1 to 7, 2011

The following summary 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.

BEARS CAN BE ENCOUNTERED ANYWHERE, ANYTIME!

Be aware of your surroundings, know how to reduce the likelihood of encounters, and be prepared should an encounter take place. Always use caution by paying attention to signs of bear activity such as scats, tracks, and digging. Make lots of noise while hiking; hike in groups when possible; carry pepper spray; and obey closures.

Education Tidbit

The berry season (primarily buffaloberries) is fast approaching. Usually by mid July, buffaloberries have begun to ripen with the season lasting until approximately the end of August. Berry production is highly dependent upon weather condtions. Weather over the next 2 weeks will dictate how good or bad the berry season will be. Efforts by the Town of Canmore, Karelian Bear Shepherding Institute of Canada, volunteers organized by BV WildSmart, and the Government of Alberta to remove this source of attraction from high human use areas is continuing around Canmore this summer. After the buffaloberry season, other berries such as dogwood and chokecherries will have ripened and they then become the major source of natural vegetation attraction for bears in certain parts of the Bow Valley expecially in the valley bottoms along the Bow River.

Bear Activity Trends

There has been grizzly activity reported in the Quarry/ Grassi Lake, Rundleview, YMCA, BVPP, and Yamnuska Zones this week. Black bear activity has been reported at Canmore Nordic Centre, Quarry/ Grassi Lake, Rundleview, TSR Resort, TSR South, Dead Mans Flats, YMCA and Bow Valley Provincial Park Zones.

Important Notes

Numerous reports of black bears and a few grizzly bear reports continue to be reported at the Canmore Nordic Centre and Quarry/ Grassi Lakes areas. Please ensure you are riding with some form of noise device (voice included) to alert wildlife as you approach blind corners and sections of trail with poor visibility. The YMCA zone has also had consistent reports of both black bears and at least one grizzly bear over the past week.

Bear Cautions and Closures

Please report all bear sightings to 403 591 7755.