Opportunistic and hungry black bears are heading into town almost daily to feast on crabapples and other fruit trees.
Opportunistic and hungry black bears are heading into town almost daily to feast on crabapples and other fruit trees.
Provincial and municipal officials remind residents to remove fruit or, alternately, cut down the tree, noting it is against the law in Canmore to leave out attractants to wildlife.
“Right now we have bears in crabapple trees almost daily,” said Jay Honeyman, a human-wildlife conflict specialist with Alberta Environment and Parks, noting most reports are in Rundleview and Three Sisters neighbourhoods.
“Fruit trees are a lot of calories for bears, without a lot of effort – and they will take advantage of them.”
Canmore's new wildlife attractant bylaw, passed by council last spring, means fines can be issued against people who attract dangerous wildlife to their yards with garbage, bird seed, pet food, buffalo berries, greasy barbecues – even crabapples.
The wording of the bylaw, however, limits the Town's authority to require the removal of known wildlife attractants. It seems that there has to be a bear actually in, or eating fruit from, for their to be a violation of the bylaw.
Lori Rissling Wynn, Canmore's sustainability coordinator and development planner, said Fish and Wildlife has been asked to let the municipality know when attending properties where bears have been into fruit trees.
“If they get called and are dealing with a bear in a yard and decide to take enforcement action, then we could do the same,” she said.
“We cannot lay a charge until the bear is in the trees,” she added, noting people need to proactively deal with their fruit before it becomes a problem.
Rissling Wynn said they know there are still fruit-laden trees remaining in the community.
“It's a bit of a challenge because we can't address every single one,” she said.
“People need to be educated and understand the potential for risk, but we also have bunch of semi-permanent residents who don't realize the extent of the concern.”
Local wildlife advocate and conservationist Jim Pissot is frustrated, noting he has made complaints to Canmore's bylaw department about several trees loaded with crabapples in the Benchlands Terrance neighbourhood.
He said some neighbours have picked fruit or removed their trees, but said there are still at least five properties with fruit-laden trees, including one beside a children's playground.
“These trees constitute a threat to our own safety, to the safety of neighbours, and the well-being of Bow Valley wildlife,” he said.
“We hope that, at minimum, the fruit and or trees will be removed immediately. It looks like fines and penalties are in order.”
Pissot said he understands the need to phase in policies that direct and seek to change human behaviour, but notes bears rarely get a second chance.
He said wording of the bylaw limits the Town's authority to require the removal of known wildlife attractants.
“We have a bylaw that has no teeth and has fingerprints of political timidity,” he said.
“Unless there is 100 per cent compliance, our entire neighbourhood remains at risk of bears becoming food conditioned should they enter the Benchlands area,” he added.
“If everybody doesn't do it, then the efforts of people who do are worthless, and lack of enforcement makes a mockery of the people who tried to do the right thing.”
Last September, an adult male black bear feasting on a crabapple tree in a busy Cougar Creek neighbourhood day and night, and bedding down beneath a backyard deck, was relocated from Canmore amid concerns for public safety.
Every year black bears are moved out of this community, but some years the number has been extremely high – 12 in 2015, 19 in 2012 and 17 in 2007. Many were bears getting into fruit trees in town.
