It seems there hasn’t been a season like this for bears – black bears, mamas with multiple cubs, grizzlies, they’re all making their presence felt, whether by setting up in backyards, tearing down fruit trees, tearing up carrots, or breaking into cars. We’re in the middle of a drought, fires have brought a lot of beings down to seek refuge in the valley, and the berry crop apparently has been a dud. Try to be extra careful with your recycling, your garbage, even your granola bar wrappers, as those brilliant beasts will remember every little spot they were able to source food and pass that on down their lineage. It’s probably a good time to give your BBQ a clean and bring it inside for a few months, if not for the winter. We’ve even started locking doors, which I hoped I’d never have to do in Pemberton… but for now, it’s not for crime, but bear-looting.

As Erica van Loon of the Coast to Cascades Grizzly Initaitive recently shared, “It’s that time of year when bears are entering Hyperphagia – a natural biological process of excessive eating to prepare for hibernation. It is critical to manage any possible attractants to keep them out of human food sources. There have been reports of bears getting into cars in Pemberton – they are in search of any form of food. Lock your cars, and do not leave any food remnants in there. Even a granola bar wrapper can be an attractant.”

Check out the tips from Coast to Cascades post for how to manage our attractants and prevent human-bear conflicts.