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May 1, 2024 - Now is the Time to be BearSmart 

Tips and tricks while in bear country. 

The arrival of warm spring weather heralds many enjoyable outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, horseback riding and biking. Along with that outdoor activity comes an increased risk of bear/human encounters.

Clearwater County has always promoted BearSmart practices since so many of our residents visit, live or work in bear territory. 

Bear habitats are becoming more fragmented and encounters between bears and humans more common. The confluence between the foothills and agricultural land provides bears with attractants that are nutritious and readily available. 

It is not uncommon in Clearwater County to hear of farmers or non-farm rural landowners co-existing with grizzlies or black bears on their property or grazing lease.

Our partnership with the Mountain View Bear Smart Society, along with Mountain View County and Alberta BearSmart, is working very well. The goals of the program are to provide residents with information to make safe decisions when in bear country. It is important to ensure both a healthy bear population as well as educating people on preventing bear encounters and reducing property damage caused by bears. 

The society was first formed in 2008 and consists of a community-based group of volunteers in conjunction with Alberta Environment and Parks and Mountain View County. 

As Clearwater County has joined the partnership, it allows our residents to become more involved in workshops and education as well as the ability to report bear sightings in our area. 

When bears come out of their dens after a 5-6-month hibernation they are hungry and looking to double their weight with high energy food. When natural food sources are poor, bears will travel long distances to seek out alternate sources of food. 

Bears have a keen sense of smell and are attracted to the odor of human food and garbage. They will often return to a site where they remember food being readily available and so it is very important to put BearSmart practices into force in order to avoid any future confrontation.

By following certain practices, you can avoid encountering bears while enjoying outdoor activities:

• Learn to recognize and watch for signs of bears such as tracks, scats, diggings, torn open ant hills, torn logs, and stumps, rolled logs and rocks, and claw marked trees. If these signs are recent, calmly, and quickly leave the area.
• Carry bear spray and know how to use it. Carry a noise maker such as an air horn or bear bangers. Keep them readily accessible on your belt or the outside of your pack. These items can be purchased at most sporting goods stores.
• When walking your dog, keep it close by and under control. Uncontrolled or off-leash dogs may lead a bear to you.
• Always let people know where you are going and how long you plan to be gone.
• When hiking, travel with others and make noise as you move through wooded areas to alert bears to your presence. Carry any food in sealed, airtight, odour proof containers in your backpack and pack out your garbage the same way.
• When biking, choose trails that are clear with long sightlines. Remember a bike is quick and quiet and may surprise a bear.
• Be extra cautious in berry patches during the fall or avoid them altogether.
• When picking your campsite, avoid areas along wildlife travel routes such as rivers, creeks and lake shores and avoid areas containing bear foods such as clover, horsetails, berry patches, etc.
• When camping, eliminate or reduce odours from yourself, your camp, your clothes, and your vehicle. Cook and sleep at sites that are at least 100 metres apart. Never cook, eat, or store any food (including snacks), cooking equipment or toiletries in your tent. When sleeping in a tent, try not to sleep in clothes you have worn while cooking meals.
• Keep your campsite clean. Do not leave food or drinks out on the picnic table. Use dried or precooked foods that have less odours. Use odour proof containers to store food, drinks, toiletries, toothpaste, pet food, and garbage and store the containers in your vehicle. Hang food 3-4 metres off the ground and more than 100 metres from where you sleep. Never abandon, burn, or bury food scraps. Pack out your garbage.
• Be alert when fishing as bears use rivers, creeks and lake shores as both travel routes and feeding sites. Fish with at least one other person and stay in contact with each other.
• Clean fish away from your campsite. Seal fish in plastic bags or odour proof containers and wash your hands well.

If the presence of a bear or other wildlife is a safety concern, contact the Rocky Mountain House Fish and Wildlife office at 403-845-8230 or, call 310-000 to find the nearest Fish and Wildlife office. After business hours, call the 24 hour toll-free Report A Poacher line at 1-800-642-3800. If the situation is a public safety emergency, call 9-1-1. 

To report a sighting, email the Mountain View BearSmart Society at 

sightings@mountainviewbearsmart.com. Generalized details of the sighting will be posted on the website and included in the weekly bear activity report. This information can also be accessed through Clearwater County’s website on the Wildlife page.

To learn more about the Mountain View BearSmart Society and the Be Bear Aware campaign, please visit: http://www.mountainviewbearsmart.com/.