Mayor's Report - June 2002

One of the annual rituals of summer is the sighting of wildlife, and frequent reports of bears roaming about the community are part of life in Belcarra. However, with these reports we need to remind both ourselves and new residents to the community that it is we who are in the bear’s back yard, and not the other way around. The natural beauty and rural character that attracts us to Belcarra includes many wild animals that urbanites don’t normally encounter.

In previous years there were regular news reports of Conservation Officers responding to bear sightings. However, this year Belcarra residents should note that a reduction in Conservation Officers coupled with a change in legislative focus means it is unlikely that Conservation Officers will respond to reports of bear sightings. Accordingly, it is essential that residents become Bear Aware and ensure that our behaviour doesn’t exacerbate the problem.

The BC Ministry of Water, Land & Air Protection (WLAP) has a Bear Aware program that has been successful in reducing human-bear conflicts. Excellent sources of information on this subject are the WLAP Bear Aware website, the Bears In British Columbia website, and Belcarra's own summary page on the Do’s and Don’ts of living with bears; parents should take the time to educate their children regarding these Do’s and Don’ts. Another good information source is the WLAP brochure entitled Safety Guide To Bears In The Wild.

Bear Safety Essentials:

• Respect all bears — they all can be dangerous.
• Never approach a bear.
• Never attempt to feed a bear.
• Be defensive — never surprise a bear.
• Learn about bears — anticipate and avoid encounters.
• Know what to do if you encounter a bear.
• Each bear encounter is unique — no hard and fast rules can be applied when dealing with a potentially complex situation.

Children Should NOT:

• Run or play in areas with dense bush.
• Play unsupervised in bear country.
• Make animal-like sounds while hiking or playing.
• Approach bears, especially bear cubs.
• Be encouraged to pet, feed, or pose for a photo with bears, even if they appear tame.

Remember: “A fed bear is a dead bear!” — Do not leave garbage outside your home or use the garbage receptacles at the bus shelters for household refuse. Also, do not leave garbage outside the garbage compactors for any reason. This is food for bears and entices them to return to these locations.

Always report bear sightings to the Village Office — Although the municipality cannot do anything regarding the presence of bears, Village staff will post notices of recent sightings at the mailboxes to keep residents informed. ( We once tried passing a bylaw prohibiting bears from the Village, but we couldn’t find a bylaw enforcement officer who would issue tickets the “offending” bears! )

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