A survey of local wild berries shows that this season has brought a bumper crop to the forests and clearings around Revelstoke (Click here to add your views on the state of the local berry crop).
Fortunately for Revelstokians, this means that bears have delayed their annual saunter into town in search of garbage and other human food sources. So far we have had relatively few sightings of bears in town, which is good for both the bears and us.
Sue Davies, Revelstoke WildSafe BC community coordinator, said in a statement that bears typically start looking for easy food in town any time from April onwards, but the strongest food-finding pressure on bears is in the late summer and fall. Bears eat a staggering amount of food to build up their fat reserves for winter. As the season progresses into fall, a bear needs around 20,000 calories per day, which is equivalent to around 40 burgers, 3.5kg of birdfeed, or nearly 40kg of blueberries a day!
“If you are out looking for these berries too, remember to reduce the risk of a surprise encounter by making plenty of noise to alert any bears to your presence,” she said. “Carrying bear spray and knowing how to use it is a good idea if you intend to hike in bear country, especially if you are in a good berry area.”
WildSafeBC and Revelstoke Bear Aware will be holding a bear-spray training workshop, part of the Bear Facts Events in September this year.
As the heat turns up and the berry crop dries off, please remember to keep any bear attractants such as garbage or pet food stored where wildlife cannot access them. For more information about managing bear attractants please go online to www.bearaware.bc.ca/attractant-management
The good fruit season may also produce a good crop on fruit trees in town this season. If you have a bumper crop on your tree there are several options for harvesting any excess fruit that you cannot manage. WildSafeBC and Revelstoke Bear Aware can help with excess fruit harvest through the Gleaning Project or the Adopt a Fruit Tree program. If you would like to find out more about these options or for more information on the bear-spray training workshop please contact:
Sue Davies
WildSafeBC Community Coordinator
(250) 837-8624
revelstoke@wildsafebc.com
www.wildsafebc.com
www.bearaware.bc.ca
www.revelstokebearaware.org
