A group of dedicated volunteers are hoping to lessen the number of bears destroyed each year by conservation officers in Prince George. The Northern Bear Awareness Society of Prince George is working with the city to achieve Bear Smart status and Nicole Botten, president of the board of directors for the society says progress is being made.

Nicole Botten is the current president of the board of directors for the Northern Bear Awareness Society. Photo courtesy of N. Botten.

Last year, the city saw a 44% increase in calls to conservation officers by October prompting door-to-door bear awareness patrols to enforce bylaws designed to limit bear attractants in residential areas. Prince George is “prime bear habitat” says Botten, as the city sits at the confluence of two major rivers with ample green space and natural corridors for bears to travel. An average of 35 bears are killed by conservation officers annually in Prince George.

The Northern Bear Awareness Society hopes that achieving Bear Smart status will lower that number and promote tolerance for bears brought into contact with humans. The process for Bear Smart certification is comprehensive, including 6 criteria for aspiring municipalities. Botten says the city of Prince George and the regional district have been working to update their decision making documents and implement a bear-proof waste management system (criteria's 3 and 5 respectively) but these continue to be challenges. In 2019, Prince George launched a pilot program of almost 300 bear-resistant garbage cans in an area of the city with a concentration of sightings but, two years later, evaluation of the program is ongoing.

One of the barriers to forward momentum at the municipality level is the rotation of city councillors, some of whom may not have bear awareness high on their list of priorities. “We have to kind of get in there every once in a while with little reminders”, says Botten. “It's also important to have bear smart policies incorporated into municipal planning documents”, she says, so the commitments are continuous. 

The Northern Bear Awareness Society provides education to students, community groups, individuals, and organizations but, as Botten says, “there does seem to be a limit as to how far public education can go”. Bylaws and fines can add an additional layer of motivation for residents to make bear smart choices. 

With unseasonably warm weather in Prince George at the moment, it is possible bears will begin to venture out earlier than usual. Botten encourages people to remove bird feeders early, secure garbage, and keep dogs on leashes when out on trails. 

For more information, visit northernbearawareness.com or find them on Facebook.

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