BEAR SUMMARY FOR THE BOW VALLEY
(Banff National Park to Bow Valley Provincial Park)
For the period July 9 to 15, 2010
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 diggings. Make lots of noise while hiking; hike in groups when possible; carry pepper spray; and obey closures.
Education Tidbit
Bears continue to forage along roadways to access dandelions and grasses. This makes them particularly vulnerable to being hit by vehicles. Another grizzly bear was killed on Highway 40 this week. An additional grizzly bear was also killed along the highway near Hinton/ Edson. Please keep a watchful eye out of bears and other wildlife while driving.
Bear Activity Trends
There has been grizzly activity in Canmore Nordic Centre, Georgetown, Quarry/ Grassi Lake, Grassi Corridor, Stewart Creek, TSR Resort and TSR South Zones this week. Black bears were reported in Canmore Nordic Centre, Rundleview, TSR Resort, TSR South, Bow Flats, Deadmans Flats, Bow Des Arcs, Exshaw, Bow Valley Provincial Park and YMCA Zones this week
Important Notes
Regular black bear sightings continue to occur at the Canmore Nordic Centre and Camp Chief Hector. Please exercise caution when using the trails and make plenty of noise where sightlines are poor. If you see a bear, give it the right of way and leave in the direction you came from.
Bear Cautions/ Closures
Please report all bear sightings to 403-591-7755. For current postings of Bear Warnings and Closures please visit tpr.alberta.ca/parks/kananaskis/trailreport.aspx
Important Note:
Please do not use the comment box to report sightings of wildlife.
Report all bear sightings to
Kananaskis Dispatch
403-591-7755
For current postings of Bear Warnings, Wildlife Warnings and Closures please visit http://tpr.alberta.ca/parks/kananaskis/trailreport.aspx
2 Comments
Wouldn’t it be more useful to cite the bear warnings the day they were happening as opposed to the week after? maybe not. Just asking.
Hello Lee,
Thanks for your comments. At this time we do not have the capacity to provide daily bear reports. The current report is based on bear activity over the past week to give you an idea of activity level of bears in the region. Bears can move great distances in one day and on rainy days there may be less reports of bear sightings as less people venture outdoors, but it doesn’t necessarily mean there are less bears in an area. We hope the weekly report provides you with a sense of the level of activity rather than exact locations of bears. If you have any further questions you can email me at info@wildsmart.ca or call with more input. I’m always available to chat on ways to improve programs for our members.
Cheers,
Kim Titchener
Education Program Director
Bow Valley WildSmart Community Program
info@wildsmart.ca
403-678-3445 x 2