A local filmmaker will tell the Bow Valley story of the co-existence between grizzly bears and other wildlife and humans and how the mountain area has come so far.
Project leader Leanne Allison will produce Living with Wildlife, a 30-minute documentary and short web series about the Bow Valley being a “world leader and innovator” for the past 20 years.
“People outside don’t realize how advanced we are here, and the cultural attitude towards living with wildlife,” said Allison.
Allison, along with bear conflict specialist Jay Honeyman, who thought up the documentary idea, were before the MD of Bighorn council as a delegation, April 12.
Allison is an award-winning filmmaker who has made films such as Finding Farley and Being Caribou.
The new project will include the implementation of the Bow Valley’s bearproof garbage bins, the creation of wildlife corridors and some of the first highway wildlife fencing, among other topics.
It is meant be a positive story and help to “inspire similar communities” to think about the benefits of executing these practices.
“It’s amazing; Revelstoke, Whistler, and other B.C. towns, they don’t have any garbage management,” said Allison.
“There’s a real need for education and this will be for people already motivated and who want to get everything from bear safety to ‘what are these wildlife corridors really about,’ and ‘how should I behave in them and what’s the best thing to do?’ ”
Honeyman said the documentary would be “pretty unique in education outreach.”
“I’m not aware of a place that has done what Canmore has done outside of protected place,” said Honeyman. “It’s a testament to the valley.”
The duo have sought out councils, government and conservation organizations, and industry to help fund the project that has a budget of about $68,900 – they have received approximately $57,000 to date.
A $5,000 request for the project was presented to the MD council.
“The message is keeping the wildlife, wild,” said Reeve Dene Cooper.
The MD has two wildlife underpasses along Highway 1 before it reaches Banff National Park.
“It’s an interesting project to provide a tool that’s valuable,” said Councillor Paul Ryan.
Coun. Paul Clark suggested the final product could be played at the popular annual MD event, Living in the Natural Environment, held in Cochrane.
Although the valley has come far in the past 20 years, the efforts sometimes rely on the community to help.
In 2015, 19 black bears were removed between the east Banff park gates to the Kananaskis River.
That number includes transportation mortalities.
Relocating a bear isn’t the preferred course of action, but often hands are tied.
The documentary will begin shooting this May and run through the summer. A finished product is hopeful spring of next year.
“It’s a chance for us to celebrate how far we’ve come and again, we are global leaders in this living with wildlife,” said Allison. “What I find really inspiring is that we’re one of these rare examples where the people don’t necessarily always come first; there’s not many places like that, so for me, it’s this really serious, hopeful positive story.”
