A campground in Paradise Valley has been closed with no set dates for
its re-opening.
On Friday (July 4) Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations staff closed the small Levette Lake Rec Site after a bear made a habit of incorporating it into its feeding grounds, Squamish’s Wildsafe BC co-ordinator Meg Toom said.
Signs were hung up and the location will be closed until further notice, she said.
“They are having issues with a lot of campers getting there and leaving [wildlife] attractants,” Toom said.
The public is being asked to keep out of the area. The bear’s behaviour was escalating and becoming a higher risk to people’s safety, Sea to Sky zone conservation officer Sgt. Peter Busink wrote in a press release. For that reason, the conservation officers recommended the site be shut down until food caches can be installed.
It’s been a busy week for Squamish conservation officers and Wildsafe B.C. On July 3 a black bear was shot at Alice Lake Provincial Park and two groups of people responsible for leaving garbage and food around their campsites were fined $230 each under the BC Wildlife Act.
They were also evicted from the park, Busink noted.
Officials have fielded reports of a young grizzly bear at the Squamish Landfill. On Tuesday, July 8, conservation officers confirmed the bear was a grizzly, Toom said. Warning signs have been placed in the Cheekye Fan area.
The last grizzly spotted in Squamish was four years ago, Toom noted.
