About 120 people, including many youngsters, attended the annual Mountain View BearSmart Society (MVBS) Family Fun Day at Elkton Valley Campground.
Formed in 2009, the society strives to prevent unwanted human-bear and cougar encounters and to educate the general public on what to do and not do while in bear country, which includes the western parts of Mountain View County.
This year’s Family Fun Day on May 19 included bear spray demonstrations, with those in attendance learning the best ways to use the deterrent sprays on a mechanical bear machine.
There were also displays of information on bear and cougar biology and safety, how to identify a black bear, grizzly, cougar, wolf and coyote from their skulls, paw prints, claws and hides.
There was also a viewing of a bearsmart film and a question-and-answer period involving wildlife biologists.
And of course the annual crafts for kids activities were much appreciated.
Bearsmart is a term used to denote awareness of the potential dangers of bear (and cougar) encounters and how to avoid/prevent them.
Wildlife biologist Chiarastella Feder has been involved with the bearsmart program at the local and provincial levels.
One of the main messages officials always want to get out is that human-bear encounters can be avoided and prevented.
“We had many interesting questions, including from the kids,” said Feder, who took part in the recent three-day provincial bearsmart program workshop in Sundre. “I would say that the message is getting through about being bearsmart.
“The message is, know your wildlife and avoid encounters. But if the encounter is unavoidable know how to react correctly, in a bear or cougar encounter.”
As far as bear spray, she said she “absolutely recommend families” carry the deterrent whenever visiting wilderness areas.
“It can be an extremely important tool that can save your life,” she said.
Paul Fraser is the chairman of MVBS. He is also a wildlife biologist.
“I’m pleased that people are getting the message to be bearsmart when they are out in the wilderness or on their farms or acreages,” said Fraser, noting bearsmart means knowing how to react in the event of an encounter and how to avoid attracting bears or cougars in the first place.
Bear spray can be very useful in bear or cougar encounters, said Fraser, who has been MVBS chairman for the past nine years.
The society issues a weekly report on bear and cougar activities in the district. The report is published on the society’s website at mountainviewbearsmart.com.
Anyone visiting wilderness areas in the district during the spring, summer and fall months is advised to check for updates, he said.
“It can give you a good idea of where bears or cougars have been reported,” he said.
Kathy Blain is the owner of Elkton Valley Campground and a longtime member of MVBS.
She explained that the death of a hunter in a grizzly bear attack north of the campground in 2008 promoted the formation of the society and continues to spur efforts to keep the public informed about the potential dangers of bear and cougar encounters.
“The message is that we have bears in the area, so get educated and learn how to keep yourself safe and keep the bears safe,” said Blain.
“Keeping attractants (such as food litter) away is a big thing. And I think having bear spray when you are out in the bush in this area is a great idea, from spring until fall.”
Teaching children about being bearsmart is always worthwhile, she said.
“When you start with the kids, they enforce it with the parents,” she said.
Blain’s campground, which is located west of Highway 22 and south of the Bergen Road, donates the use of its facilities for the annual BearSmart Family Fun Day.
The society and its partners have made many bearsmart presentations and demonstrations for schoolchildren across the region over the years.
The society has also made presentations to the Dickson Fish and Game Association, Sundre Forest Products, Shell plants in the area, Cottonwood Cougars Junior Forest Wardens, Milestone Oilfield Services, Olds Search and Rescue, Didsbury Search and Rescue, Brazeau County Search and Rescue, Mountain View County employees, Bergen Springs Community Association, Sundre Hiking Club, Wild Sheep Foundation youth camp, ConocoPhillips, Bergen Cub Jamboree, Cochrane Humane Society Kids' Camp, Village of Burnstick Lake, Foster Parents Alberta summer camp, and others.
“We also set up our display booth and distribute educational materials at the annual SPOG's Neighbours' Day in Sundre, Living in the Natural Environment event in Cochrane, at Mountain View and Big Horn counties' predator workshops in Cremona, Safety Day in Rocky Mountain House, and at the Rural Crime Watch trade show in Olds,” said Fraser.
Meanwhile, anyone visiting the vast wilderness areas west of Water Valley, Cremona and Sundre this summer is well advised to plan ahead, says Sundre fire Chief Marty Butts.
With thousands of people travelling to campgrounds and other recreational areas in Mountain View County and neighbouring municipalities out west every year, local firefighters are well versed on the dangers visitors can sometimes face, he said.
One important message for everyone visiting the area is to let people know where you plan to go and when you plan to return, he said.
“Tell someone where you are going and when you are getting back,” he said. “A lot of people head off for a quick little ride and they end up being gone for hours and nobody knows where they went or when they were supposed to come back.”
Travelling in groups is also a good idea, he said.
“I always say there’s strength in numbers,” he said. “You want to have people there to come to your aid at a moment's notice. If you are there by yourself, there is nobody there to lift that bike off you or help you.”
A vital message for anyone using motorized vehicles in the West County is to always wear a helmet, he said.
“Definitely have a helmet on when operating any off-road machine,” he said. “In side-by-side vehicles, some people think they are protected without wearing a helmet because they have a roll cage and seatbelts, but you should have a helmet on in those as well.
“You can roll over and things can come in (to the cab) or you can hit your head on the roll bar and that can cause great injuries, which we have seen.”
People should also ensure that they are able to handle the specific machine they are operating, he said.
“It’s all about experience,” he said. “First-time riders shouldn’t get in over their head. You don’t want to get in a predicament where you should have been on a less powerful bike which you could control better.”
It goes without saying that off-highway motoring and alcohol don’t mix, he said.
“Watch your consumption because it is no different than a highway vehicle,” he said. “Being over the limit on an off-highway vehicle is no different that being over the limit in a truck. You are still not going to have the right judgement and you are going to get an impaired,” he said.
Justin Francis, 32, a Cochrane man, died in an off-highway vehicle crash west of Sundre over the recent May long weekend. The fatality remains under investigation.
