The City of Port Alberni has become the province's fifth community to achieve Bear Smart status, an honour recognizing the community for their exceptional collaborative approach to reducing human-bear conflicts, announced Environment Minister Mary Polak.

The Bear Smart Community program is a voluntary, preventative conservation measure encouraging communities, businesses and individuals to work together to address the root causes of human-bear conflicts, reducing the risks to human safety and private property, as well as the number of bears that have to be destroyed each year.

The City of Port Alberni implemented educational programs and a bear-proof municipal waste management system to reduce human-bear conflicts and completed all the additional actions required to obtain Bear Smart status.

Port Alberni joins the Village of Lions Bay, the Resort Municipality of Whistler, the District of Squamish and the City of Kamloops as Bear Smart communities. Over 20 other communities in B.C. are actively pursuing Bear Smart status.

Community requirements for Bear Smart status:

• Prepare a bear-hazard assessment of the community and surrounding area.
• Prepare a human-bear conflict management plan designed to address bear hazards and land-use conflicts identified in the previous step.
• Revise planning and decision-making documents to be consistent with the human-bear conflict management plan.
• Implement a continuing education program, directed at all sectors of the community.
• Develop and maintain a bear-proof municipal solid waste management system.
• Implement Bear Smart bylaws prohibiting providing food to bears, whether as a result of intent, neglect, or irresponsible management of attractants.

In 2012-13, the Conservation Officer Service received 25,184 calls regarding human-wildlife conflicts. Of those calls, 15,833 involved human-bear conflicts. During this same period, the total number of black bear calls was down slightly from the previous year, while grizzly conflicts were up.

Over the past five years in B.C., an average of 600 black bears have been destroyed each year, while 93 have been relocated due to conflicts with people.

Quotes:

Mary Polak, Environment Minister -

"It takes a lot of dedication for a community to become Bear Smart. Since engaging in the Bear Smart program Port Alberni, a city with historically high levels of conflict with bears, has seen a consistent reduction in the level of conflict and number of bears destroyed. Congratulations to the City of Port Alberni for achieving Bear Smart status!"

John Douglas, mayor of

"Achievement of Bear Smart status highlights the considerable efforts made by our community to reduce human-bear conflict, as well as our ongoing commitment to provide education and raise public awareness with regards to bear hazards. We are proud to be the fifth community in the province to achieve Bear Smart status and encourage other communities to work towards this goal."

Kelly Larkin, chief conservation officer -

"The City of Port Alberni is showing great leadership by acknowledging and managing a problem that is fundamentally caused by the behaviour of people. It's a positive example for other communities that will lead to reduced human conflict with wildlife."

Quick Facts:

• The Bear Smart Community program is designed by the Ministry of Environment in partnership with the British Columbia Conservation Foundation and the Union of British Columbia Municipalities.
• Bears generally hibernate for three to five months on the south coast and for five to seven months in the Interior and the North. Females, particularly pregnant ones, hibernate longer than males.
• Hibernation is an important survival strategy for bears when their main foods - green vegetation, berries, salmon and insects - are not available in winter.
• The most effective and natural way to prevent conflicts with bears in urban areas is to put away food attractants like garbage, bird seed, compost and fruit.

Learn More:

For more information on the Bear Smart Communities program, visit: www.env.gov.bc.ca/wld/bearsmart

For more information on the Bear Aware program, visit: www.bearaware.bc.ca

To learn about the new WildSafeBC, visit: www.wildsafebc.com

Predator statistics, including black bears, grizzly bears and cougars are updated monthly at: www.env.gov.bc.ca/cos/info/wildlife_human_interaction/predator-conflicts.html

Report human-wildlife conflicts to the Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) line toll-free at 1 877 952-7277 (RAPP), or visit the RAPP website at: www.rapp.bc.ca

A backgrounder follows.

Media contact:

Media Relations
Ministry of Environment
250 953-3834

BACKGROUNDER

Bear Aware supports Bear Smart Community program

• Bear Aware is an effective educational program designed to reduce and prevent human-bear conflicts and the number of bears that have to be destroyed each year.
• Bear Aware education is one component that must be completed for a community to obtain Bear Smart status.
• The Province recently partnered with the BC Conservation Foundation to launch WildSafeBC. An expansion of the Bear Aware program, WildSafeBC includes education about other species of wildlife that come into conflict in urban settings, like deer, coyotes and cougars. This new program, like Bear Aware, will help to reduce human-wildlife conflict through education, innovation and cooperation.
• This year, the Province provided $225,000 in funding for the Bear Aware program, allowing it to reach over 100 communities in B.C.
• This year, community co-ordinators are located in the following communities:

• Bella Coola
• Castlegar
• Elk Valley
• Fernie
• Fraser Valley Regional District
• Golden
• Invermere
• Kamloops
• Kaslo
• Maple Ridge
• Nelson
• New Denver
• Prince George
• Radium
• Regional District of the Okanagan Similkameen
• Revelstoke
• Rossland
• Selkirk Purcell
• Squamish
• Sunshine Coast
• Thompson Nicola Regional District
• Trail
• Vernon

Media contact:

Media Relations
Ministry of Environment
250 953-3834