WildSafeBC Kimberley-Cranbrook has released their annual community report and local Community Coordinator Danica Roussy says the program was busy this year, making progress on numerous fronts.
The report was discussed at a regular Council meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018.
Roussy says between January 1 to October 15, 2018, there were 153 wildlife reports to WildSafe’s Wildlife Alert Reporting Program (WARP) in Kimberley, while Cranbrook residents reported 238.
“In both communities, wildlife activity spiked in early spring, dropped down in July and spiked back up in September,” explained Roussy. “More deer conflicts were reported in Cranbrook in May and June, while black bears accounted for the spikes in the fall.
In Kimberley, deer accounted for the highest number of reported wildlife encounters at 76, while black bears reports were at 48, grizzly bears at nine and cougars at three.
Roussy says that the program faced several challenges this year including the introduction of a new solid waste system in Kimberley, a large number of unmanaged fruit trees, human-habituated and aggressive deer and the ongoing issue of winter feeding of urban deer.
READ MORE: Time to be aware of wildlife attractants
“Unsecured garbage continues to be an issue, especially in Kimberley and Cranbrook,” said Roussy. “The implementation of the new solid waste collection system in Kimberley was a challenge for a number of community members.”
Councillor Darryl Oakley, who sits on the Kimberley Urban Deer Committee, asked City CAO Scott Sommerville if he noticed any specific increase or decrease in wildlife conflicts after the new garbage collection system was rolled out.
Sommerville speculates that the new garbage carts may be “slightly more difficult” for wildlife to get into, adding that bear resistant containers only slow bears down while making the garbage man’s job more difficult.
“It was a strategic decision to purchase the carts that we did,” said Sommerville. “The bear-resistant carts can freeze up in the winter, making it difficult for garbage collection.”
He says the main point is that garbage should remain secured until the morning of collection.
For those finding their carts too small, Sommerville says around 40 people have purchased larger carts from the City. Others with similar issues can do so for a one-time fee of around $75. He also noted that there have been no requests for bear-resistant carts.
In terms of feeding urban deer, Roussy says WildSafeBC is working alongside Kimberley’s Urban Deer Committee to mitigate issues.
“While many community members do a good job managing their attractants, there remain some who insist on feeding deer year-round,” she said. “Many community members have made great strides in removing access to attractants but the deer have now become well established in the community. It is essential that winter feeding of urban deer discontinue in order to reduce human-deer conflicts.
“However, with the support of the communities and the Urban Deer Committee, there are opportunities for 2019 to make important strides in these areas. Pursuing bear smart community status will result in bylaws that will also benefit other species.”
READ MORE: WildSafeBC on what to do when you find a fawn
She adds that fruit trees are an ongoing problem as they are generally not appreciated as a significant source of human-wildlife conflict.
“Unmanaged fruit trees draw wildlife into the community and lead to human habituation and food conditioning,” Roussy explained.
She adds that goals for next year’s program include presenting a Bear Hazard Assessment and Management Plan to the City of Kimberley, encourage the City to implement bylaws that prohibit the mismanagement of attractants, and secure additional funding to deliver the program throughout the winter months in RDEK Electoral areas A, C and E.
Councillor Darryl Oakley says the WildSafe program is valuable to the community, and thanks both Roussy for her commitment to education and management, and the Ministry of Environment for funding the program.
The WildSafe program also made progress by way of education, having given over 39 presentations to 31 different groups (a total of 932 participants).
Roussy says the Junior Ranger program was in high demand and expanded with an online team version as well as an extended in-class offering.
Some key highlights for the program included participating in Indigenous Peoples Day at Idlewild Lake in Cranbrook, and fostering partnerships with the Ktunaxa Nation.