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Let’s Talk Trash: Bears and berries

Despite the cloudy skies, it is indeed summer, and that means bear season. Both the berries and bears have awoken and made fast friends. Beyond berries, though, there are other tasty treats that can attract furry friends of all sizes.
Let's Talk Trash Powell River
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Despite the cloudy skies, it is indeed summer, and that means bear season. Both the berries and bears have awoken and made fast friends.

Beyond berries, though, there are other tasty treats that can attract furry friends of all sizes. Keeping bears at a distance is the safest way to enjoy their majesty while also protecting them from the challenges of bear habituation.

The best strategy to avoid too-close encounters on your property is to keep all food sources inaccessible. When that is not possible, make them less appealing.

If you’ve ever seen a bear skull close up, you may have noticed the nasal cavity is full of small honeycomb pockets, pointing to their incredible capacity to pick up on scents from a long distance. Even seemingly innocent traces of food left behind on recyclables stored outside or left at the curb for pickup can bring a bear (or other critter) to investigate.

Along with rinsing recyclables, and storing garbage inside until the morning of pickup at curbside or drop-off at the transfer station, here are a few other tips:

Picking the abundance of fruit falling from trees will do a lot to reduce walk-by snacking in your front yard. If you are unable to do the picking, invite family, friends and neighbours to enjoy the harvest, and to thank you by bringing a few baskets to your front door.

Any spoiled fruit can be brought for free to Sunshine Disposal compost drop-off on Franklin Avenue on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays between 10 am and 4 pm.

Less obvious ways to mitigate odours that attract include feeding pets indoors, removing bird feeders during bear season, and cleaning your barbecue grill after use.

If you backyard compost, avoid adding the smelliest items, like fish guts. Instead, wrap them in newspaper or a paper bag and freeze them until you can compost them in town or take them for disposal.

qathet Regional District’s WildSafeBC coordinator Krystle Mitchelitis is available for further bear safety enquiries at qrd@wildsafebc.com or 250.898.7451. To report wildlife in conflict, contact the conservation officer at 1.877.952.7277.

Let’s Talk Trash is qathet Regional District’s waste-reduction education program. For more information, email info@LetsTalkTrash.ca or go to LetsTalkTrash.ca.