Two months after moving to the Coast last summer, my husband and I were sitting on our couch at home when the largest black bear I’ve seen appeared outside our patio doors and began casually eating the bird seed we had put out.
Previously from Vancouver, we had always fed the birds, so it didn’t even occur to us that a bear would be interested in a handful of bird seed, but yet, there he was.
It was a lesson for sure and could have easily been avoided if we had anyone offering us advice. When we moved to the Coast we asked, where’s the closest grocery store? Is there a shopping mall? A movie theatre? Not, how many bears live in town?
A new volunteer program offered by the Sunshine Coast Bear Alliance wants to help newcomers and even long-time locals become “bear aware,” by training neighbours to help neighbours by arming them with enough knowledge to avoid our mistake.
Diane Henley, one of the founding members of the alliance, said bears are attracted to the oils in bird seed, so it’s a low-effort/high reward snack for them. It’s this kind of information volunteers can pass on to their neighbours. She says it’s particularly important to start spreading the word now, because bears are already being spotted in some areas of the Coast after coming out of hibernation.
Henley says older males are typically the first to wake up, followed by lone or sub-adults, then finally, mother bears with cubs.
“The last to leave are the moms with cubs. And the cubs weigh about five-to-six pounds. They're tiny still when they leave the den, but as soon as they leave the den, if they need to climb up a tree for safety, they can do that, which is pretty impressive.”
Which is why now is a good time to start preparing ways to keep bears moving along and away from your home. Henley adds, bears are quick learners with long memories, so while there’s a good chance the bear who dropped by our place last summer will pass by to check it out, once he realizes the food source is gone, he’ll just keep moving.
Other important tips from the alliance to consider is to have fruit trees pruned if you don’t plan on harvesting them, move outdoor fridges and freezers back inside or take everything out of them and clean them with vinegar, and do not leave anything in your car, including toiletries, laundry detergent, pet food, livestock feed, lip gloss or even a gum wrapper or air freshener. As well, keep car doors locked at all times.
If you have an open carport, secure your garbage cans to something stationary so they can’t be knocked over. Regardless of where you store your garbage, freeze all odorous items prior to placing in the bins the morning of pick up.
Rinse all garbage bins and organics bins with Pine-Sol (original scent only) or vinegar after collection day and spray bin lids with the same. This is not foolproof, but may be enough to repel a curious bear from investigating your garbage.
This one might be a little tougher through the summer, Henley notes, but keep all windows and doors in your home closed. As reported in Coast Reporter last year, bears are not afraid to enter a home if the opportunity presents itself.
It's these kinds of tips the alliance wants volunteers to discuss with friends, family and neighbours. Anyone interested in volunteering for the alliance will receive training and given brochures to hand out. Henley noted the volunteer program is not in partnership with any other groups or government agencies.
Anyone interested in volunteering with the program or for more information on being bear aware, can visit scbearalliance.com or email [email protected].
