As the bears emerge, Bear Aware is seeking a new coordinator. Might it be you? UPDATED!

Just in time for the springtime emergence of the bears, Revelstoke Bear Aware is eager to hire a new community coordinator. This particular grizzly was spotted in Glacier National Park. You can see a video of this animal at the end of the story. Photo courtesy of Parks Canada
Just in time for the springtime emergence of the bears, Revelstoke Bear Aware is eager to hire a new community coordinator. This particular grizzly was spotted in Glacier National Park. You can see a video of this animal at the end of the story. Photo courtesy of Parks Canada

By David F. Rooney

Just in time for the springtime emergence of the bears, Revelstoke Bear Aware is eager to hire a new community coordinator.

The search is required because Sue Davies has left the community coordinator position to take a new job, based here, with the Invasive Species Council of British Columbia. Bear Aware now wants to hire a replacement. (Please go to the Bear Aware website for more information about the coordinator’s position.)

Meanwhile, there have been sightings in Arrow Heights and Johnson Heights, and a “second-hand sighting” of a sow and two cubs in on the dyke in the Big Eddy. However, that reported sighting, which was mentioned at the Bear Aware Annual General Meeting, has not yet been confirmed.

“There have been two reports to me, one in Upper Arrow Heights into a bird feeder (poop only so don’t know how many bears) and the other was in the Big Eddy, just a single bear passing through,” Davies told The Current.  “Both sightings took place last weekend.

“The bear sighting in the Big Eddy is a second-hand sighting, but it appears that it was seen near the Big Eddy Water Work building on the dyke, had two larger cubs in tow, and was eating grass.”

There was no bear sighting in the Illecillewaet Greenbelt.

The Johnson Heights sighting appeared to be a case of a bear’s inferred presence at one of the community’s bear-proof waste containers when one of the residents apparently failed to close the container’s lid, thereby allowing the bruin to rifle through its contents.

This Johnson Heights sighting appeared to be a case of a bear’s inferred presence at one of the community’s bear-proof waste containers when one of the residents apparently failed to close the container’s lid, thereby allowing the bruin to rifle through its contents. Bear Aware photo
This Johnson Heights sighting appeared to be a case of a bear’s inferred presence at one of the community’s bear-proof waste containers when one of the residents apparently failed to close the container’s lid, thereby allowing the bruin to rifle through its contents. Bear Aware photo

On another note, Conservation Officer Alex Desjardins told the AGM he has been seconded to CO Service as a trainer and recruiter. This reduces the number of available of COs in Golden to just one. And even that lone CO won’t be attending incidents here. If there is an incident here that requires attendance by a Conservation Officer, he’ll come from Vernon.

At least one grizzly has emerged from hibernation in Glacier National Park and black bears have been spotted on the lower slopes of Mount Revelstoke, says Parks Canada’s Jacolyn Daniluck.

“Every spring new vegetation and minerals from rock fall attract wildlife (especially bears and mountain goats) to the side of the highway and Parks Canada is asking for your help to get the message out to motorists to ‘slow down and watch for wildlife when driving through the national parks,’” she said in a statement issued on Friday.

Spring is early this year and Parks staff have already seen black bears and a grizzly in Glacier National Park and mountain goats beside the highway in Mount Revelstoke National Park. Please activate the viewer  below to watch a video of the grizzly:

You can reach Bear Aware by:

Phone at 250-837-8624;
E-mail at beaware@telus.net;
Its website www.revelstokebearaware.org; and
Its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/revelstokebearaware.

To report a conflict with bears or other forms of wildlife please call the RAPP line on 1-877-952-RAPP (7277)