Like many of us in Squamish, I was once new.
I moved here from Montreal and started a family. Despite all of my time outdoors, my encounters with wildlife were few and far between. I wasn’t really paying much attention or looking for signs. No WildSafeBC education in my repertoire.
Now my focus is all about ecology and human-wildlife interactions. I have the honour and burden of learning about wildlife encounters in our community. I review scientific literature and consult with experts. Black bears are such adaptable and smart creatures and they learn ways to get to their highly-coveted calories. That first taste of someone’s leftovers in an unsecured receptacle leads them onto a dangerous path – both for us and for them.
I was once new and never had my garbage disturbed. This was before wildlife-resistant hardware so we kept it in the garage where we lived in Garibaldi Highlands. We were moving and things were in disarray so we left our garbage out one night. It just took one night. The bear found it and was in our backyard. We yelled at it and it growled back. It eventually jumped the fence, damaging it in the process and leaving a mess. I now wonder whatever happened to that bear.
Since my early days in Squamish, much has changed since 27 bears were destroyed in 2004. Serious efforts and resources have been put in place to educate the community, increase safety and reduce the accessibility of bear attractants. The landfill has been electrified, our garbage and organics are in bear-resistant containers, and education programs are running constantly. However, we have challenges.
Squamish lies in prime bear habitat with a patchwork of travel pathways that allow bears to pop in and out of security cover. Berry bushes border our trails, large fruit trees become overburdened with fruit that are too high to be picked, someone forgets to lock their tote or leaves their bird feeder out too long. It just takes that one time and the bear has learned a new behaviour. Once they receive that caloric reward they take more chances and become more destructive. They will break the branches off of fruit trees, drag totes away to break into them or defend their territory with a defensive charge or swat.
I was once new. I wish now that I had not been complacent and learned more about what I could do to reduce my impact on bears and other wildlife. Don’t wait. Check out the accurate, science-based information we have on our website (www.wildsafebc.com) or ask me for some advice. I’m here to help and share my mistakes so we don’t all keep repeating history.
Vanessa Isnardy
Squamish WildSafeBC Community Coordinator
