End of Season for WildSafeBC in Castlegar
By Contributor
The bears are getting ready to hibernate for the winter, as will the WildSafeBC Castlegar Program on November 30th. WildSafeBC’s goal is prevent conflict with wildlife through education, collaboration and community solutions.
Your local coordinator, Tara Pejski, has been working with the community to prevent negative outcomes for wildlife and for people by providing wildlife information and conflict-reduction strategies to residents, visitors, and the business community. Education outreach has included attendance at community events, door-to-door canvassing, wildlife awareness and safety presentations, bear spray workshops, and WildSafe Ranger presentations in schools and summer camps.
In September, in partnership with the City of Castlegar, we held a special BC Goes Wild event at the Old Castle Theatre. The theatre was at full capacity for the free screening of Yogi Bear, where attendees could also get information about local wildlife and children could enter a province wide coloring contest. It was a wonderful event with a great turnout.
Please view our year-end report, scheduled to be released by early January on our website, https://wildsafebc.com/, to learn more about what we were able to accomplish this year.
While the bears may be soon in their dens, there are some that remain active in our community. There are also many other animals that do not hibernate (such as skunks, racoons, and coyotes), and it is very important to continue to manage attractants (garbage, organics, pet food, livestock) appropriately. We encourage everyone to become more familiar with the wildlife that may be passing through Castlegar this winter. Please report sightings of bears, wolves or cougars in urban/residential areas, or wildlife in conflict, to the Conservation Officer Service at 1-877-952-7277. Please visit https://wildsafebc.com/ and follow our Provincial Facebook and Instagram pages for updates, tips, and other information to assist you in keeping wildlife wild and your community safe!
WildSafeBC Castlegar is grateful for the generous support the program receives from its funders including The City of Castlegar, Columbia Basin Trust, the Regional District of Central Kootenay, the British Columbia Conservation Foundation and the Province of BC. We would also like to thank the residents of Castlegar and surrounding areas for the support, participation, reports and positive actions taken this year.
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