Spring has sprung? The grass is riz? We now know where the grizzlies is.
The above may be a lame effort at incorporating a springtime poem into an editorial, but it does highlight the fact that grizzly bears, perhaps encouraged by the above average temperatures we’ve all been enjoying, are indeed back on the ground.
Males like Banff’s bear 122 have left their den and are looking to fill their bellies and it’s worth noting that that belly filling will initially occur at low elevations in this area. As in, where the majority of people recreate.
It is therefore, time to check the expiry date on your bear spray and get your head wrapped around the fact that, even though we haven’t set our clocks back yet as part of the Daylight Savings Time ritual (that happens on Sunday, people), bears may be anywhere and precautions need to be taken.
As well, with a story of changes being made to an off-leash dog area near Quarry Lake in this week’s issue, it’s worth reminding people that keeping dogs on-leash in bear country is not only a good idea from an owner’s point of view, but for the safety of everyone’s dogs.
You might think you have a macho alpha dog on your hands, but it would be wise not to gauge its courage based on which side of an encounter with a bear it comes out on.
There’s rarely a day an off-leash dog can’t be spotted near Quarry Lake and it’s clear there’s quite a spillover of dogs in the ‘pond’ area, so we hope dog owners take heed of the fact that area is being enlarged and stay within the new boundary.
Should owners not take advantage of the larger area to let their dogs run free, rather than allow incremental encroachment into adjoining areas, another recourse would be for bylaw services to step up enforcement – and we all know how well that would be accepted.
Please, check the notices
Being that there seems to be a weekly story concerning avalanche near-misses or deaths lately (page 6), we encourage everyone to check avalanche.ca before heading into the backcountry.
A few minutes perusing the website could save your life – time well spent, indeed.
As an example, according to avalanche.ca – the information is compiled by experts for the purpose of saving lives, not ruining anyone’s fun – the risk in Kananaskis Country is high in the alpine and at treeline today (March 10) and considerable on Friday.
For Banff, Yoho and Kootenay National Parks, today’s risk at alpine is high and at treeline considerable, while Friday is rated at considerable for both.
It’s no surprise that conditions are sketchy, given the above normal temperatures the area has experienced this winter. And, just like people who insist on driving onto Ghost Lake only to have their SUV fall through the thinning ice, backcountry users must take heed of the unusual weather and the conditions it has caused.
Provincial and federal officials continue to warn of the avalanche situation. The fact that Parks’ experts are warning that, while the likelihood of triggering an avalanche may be low, the fact that the consequences would likely be a large, destructive (deadly) event, should be enough to make anybody think twice about heading out.
