Revelstoke Bear Aware is once again running the Gleaning Project in 2014. For those not in the know, the Gleaning Project is where volunteers help harvest excess fruit and take it to Community Connections Food Bank.
“Leaving fruit on the tree or on the ground to rot is just asking for bears to come and snack at your place,” Sue Davies, coordinator for Revelstoke Bear Aware, said in a statement released on Friday, July 4.
“And as the saying goes, a fed bear is a dead bear, and a far more dangerous bear too. If you can pick you own fruit, then do so; if you have too much, take it to the food bank. If you can’t harvest your own fruit, that’s when to call the Gleaning Project to come help. Volunteers will harvest the fruit, the volunteer pickers get to keep some, and the rest goes to the food bank. It’s a win-win-win situation.”
She said that the Gleaning Project is catching on fast.
“Last year I noticed that many people were independently gleaning fruit around town,” Davies said. “People were just asking their neighbours or other fruit tree owners if they could help with harvesting, and many good relationships developed, which is great. People who want to eat local and harvest whatever is available are exactly what we need here in bear country!”
At this time of year, cherries are just beginning to come ripe. If your tree is ready and you can’t manage, or if you want to be one of those volunteer pickers, call Sue Davies at 250-837-8624 or send her an –mail at beaware@telus.net.
If you have harvested your fruit and there is too much for you to enjoy it all, you can either take the excess directly to the Community Connections Food Bank, located in the basement of the Royal Canadian Legion, on Friday mornings starting at 8 am or call Sue and she will take it to the food bank for you.
If you spot a bear eating fruit (or any other human food) please call 1-877-952-RAPP (7277). This number gets you through to the provincial call centre and the information then comes through to Revelstoke Bear Aware and is entered into the interactive map of bear sightings.
For more information on managing bear attractants please visit www.revelstokebearaware.org or call Sue Davies on 250 837 8624.
Revelstoke Bear Aware thanks the Revelstoke Community Foundation, Columbia Basin Trust, Revelstoke Credit Union, Lush Cosmetics, BC Hydro, the BC Conservation Foundation, and Parks Canada for support for the program this year.
