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2 THE FREE PRESS, Thursday, August 27, 2009 www.thefreepress.ca Saturday, September 5 th College of the Rockies, Fernie Campus 4:oo to 8:00 pm • Featuring a slide show at 7:00 pm by Grizzly Bear Expert Charlie Russell and much more… • 4:00 to 5:00 pm: Kids Activities: crafts/songs/stories • 4:00 to 7:00 pm: Workshops and Displays, Charlie Russell’s movie “The Edge of Eden”, book signing by Charlie and much more… As this educational event is free of charge (donations are welcome) all participants are required to register. To avoid delays the day of, we suggest that you pre- register at the C.O.T.R. in person or call 250-423-4691. For more details contact your local Bear Aware Program. www.bearaware.bc.ca Funding contributions provided by: B EAR A WARE O PEN H OUSE Wishing Rick & Shari Gris August 23, 2009 Mom & Dad, Your love and friendship over the years is an inspiration to us all! Love Tanya, Dwight, Nevaeh, Brody & Jaelyn, Nicole & Chris, Shane, Kathy, Sienna & Seneca, Andrea & Blair a H a p p y 4 0 t h A n n i v e r s a r y Garbage wars Battle against early bins in Elkford By Rebecca Edwards Free Press Staff “W e’re from Bear Aware and we’re going door-to-door trying to make sure people don’t put their garbage out early. It attracts wildlife into the street and we’re trying to stop that.” It’s 7:30 p.m. and Sarah Smith of Bear Aware is just beginning to patrol Elkford. The search is on - not for roam- ing bears, but for delinquent wheelie bins. Every Wednesday this summer Smith along with District of Elkford bylaw officer Dave Scott have been patrolling the streets in search of garbage cans already out on the side- walk - more than 12 hours before they will be collected by an auto- mated collection on Thursday. Elkford District bylaw states that it is a finable offence to place a solid waste cart out for pickup prior to 5 a.m. on the date set for solid waste collection. Residents who ignore the bylaw could be hit with a $50 penalty but the Bear Aware initiative is designed to educate people before it gets to that point. Each bin they find on public land before 5 a.m. is marked with a fluor- escent sticker stating it has broken the bylaw and giving Scott’s phone number in case they want more infor- mation. In Elkford, where around half the residents work 7 a.m to 7 p.m. shifts at the mines, it may be tempting to put the garbage out before work or bed, but it has serious consequences, says Scott. “Nine bears were shot in Elkford last year – all of them garbage bears that had become used to eating from bins. “Most people probably don’t know that until I tell them – they’re usually pretty shocked. “The people who had bear traps set up in their yards get pretty upset too when they find out the bear has been shot. So I’m thinking, let’s do better when dealing with garbage.” Smith and Scott go from street to street, stopping by bins that are placed on public land to slap a sticker on the lid and talk to the owner, if they’re home. Most residents seem unaware of the bylaw and apologetically move the bin back against the house once they’ve heard the reason for it. Others aren’t so understanding - one guy comes out to stop them and tells them he’s never taken his large wheelie bin indoors and will never do it. Another man angrily defends his choice of putting his vacationing neighbour’s garbage out a day early. Elsewhere in town there is evi- dence of an even bigger problem – a garbage can filled to the brim with stinking rubbish, which Smith says would be a dream discovery for a hungry bear. “We took a walk behind a street last year and found bear scat with remnants of diapers in it. “Other bins are tied down with bungee cord, as though that will stop the bear getting in. “The worst bins are the communal bins for apartment complexes which are out in the open 24/7 and bears knock them over like nothing. You can see the scratch marks on the side of them. Mayor of Elkford Dean McKerracher says that since 2007 the district has saved thousands of dollars through the new automated collection system, where a truck automatically empties the large wheelie bins at each house. He added: “We have a regular col- lection schedule so people should now know when they have to put their bin out. If they really can’t do it in the morning I would like to see them asking their neighbours to put their bin out for them, being a good neighbour will assist us with the bears.” Last week’s early evening patrol caught 29 early bins, ver- sus 35 the previous week. The patrol takes place at a different time each week, sometimes getting people out of bed to point a flash- light at their bin on the sidewalk. Clark says that recently he was called out to a barking dog at 2 a.m. and saw bins outside around 170 of the houses in town. “We want to get that down to zero,” says Smith, looking hopeful. Next morning the garbage collection takes place and a bear sighting is called in by the public works department. “It could have been just a random sighting,” says Smith. “But chances are it was attracted by garbage. “Once a bear has got into garbage once, unless the town is cleared of garbage it is going to find more and after five or six times they are clas- sified as habituated and food condi- tioned. They have less fear of humans and can become more aggressive. That is what we want to prevent.” • For more information call bylaw officer Dave Scott at 250-865-4024 • What do you think of the Bear Aware sticker program? Email free- [email protected] or call 250- 423-4666. Bear Corner Elkford • Niagra Crescent - bear sighting during garbage pick up – Thursday, August 20 • Natal - bear sighting in the daytime feeding on berries - Friday August 21 • Peace Park on Friday, Aug. 21 • Balmer Crescent - Female black bear and cub sighted in the after- noon Sunday, August 23 Fernie • A bear has been seen pass- ing through properties on lower Timberline Crescent and on Boomerang Way at Fernie Alpine Resort. • Many bear sightings (black and grizzly) seen in and around the bike park at Fernie Alpine Resort • A bear and two cubs seen on Dem Bones bike trail in Mount Fernie Provincial Park Sarah Smith of Elk Valley Bear Aware slaps an information sticker on an overfilled bin breaking local bylaws that say bins shouldn’t be on the sidewalk until after 5 a.m. collection. Photo by R. Edwards Bear sightings
