qathet Regional District (qRD) directors were provided an update on the 2023 WildSafeBC program, which had several activities throughout the region during the year.
Ethan Browne, the local WildSafeBC community coordinator, addressed the regional district committee of the whole on November 22, and said the organization is the provincial leader in keeping communities safe. This was the eighth year of it taking place in qRD, although there was not a coordinator in place in 2022, according to Browne.
Browne outlined the local wildlife activity and said it had been a challenge this year because the wildlife alert reporting program has not been functioning as it should have in 2023.
“As a result, we don’t have any statistical information on wildlife sightings or conflicts reported throughout the 2023 calendar year,” said Browne. “This is a priority for 2024 and something that is currently under development.
“We have had events that have gained public notoriety and some unusual events such as bear conflicts and some unusual cougar footage around the south part of the town.”
Browne said during the year, he focused on maximizing public engagement, organized display booths, as well as providing door-to-door education. He said there had been six information booths set up during the year, mostly at Powell River Farmers’ Market, with a total of 392 people being engaged.
“One of the topics discussed frequently was wildlife encounter safety, as well as attractant management, such as garbage, and safety in town,” said Browne. “People were primarily interested in bears.”
The program also attended local schools, such as James Thomson Elementary, Edgehill Elementary, Westview Elementary, Powell River Christian School and Kelly Creek Community School. All told, 333 students were engaged.
“This was met with huge success,” said Browne. “We did 16 presentations over five schools. For junior kindergarten to grade two ages, we used a lot of visual aids, and we had an engaged audience that was interested in the material. For grades three to six, it was more of a discussion-led activity and also met with great interest.
“This is the bread and butter of the program and something I’m most proud of. I hope to see this continue into the next year.”
There was also door-to-door education based on areas recommended to the program by the conservation officer, as well as social media, such as where there were cougar and bear sightings posted online.
“This was perhaps the most interesting part of the program for me, as I got a really good insight into conflicts,” said Browne. “I got to speak to a bunch of different residents and 105 different homes were reached. I got to know about conflicts that weren’t reported.
“This is one of the most effective aspects of the program and I would like to see this continued in 2024.”
Browne said sponsors for the program include qRD, City of Powell River, Powell River Community Forest, the Province of British Columbia, British Columbia Conservation Society, as well as WildSafeBC, and the conservation officer service is integral to the success of the program.
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