Kids who can’t get enough bears and are not happy about having to wait until next year for Paddington Bear 3 now have an alternative closer to home.
It’s not Cocaine Bear, but it may help hikers avoid a similar fate as their counterparts on the big screen.
It’s Bear Day at the Canmore Nordic Centre's Day Lodge, Saturday April 22 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. This is a free family-friendly event and April 22 is a Kananaskis Conservation Pass Free Day.
Coinciding with bears’ emergence from their winter dens after a long hibernation, this event is a celebration and welcoming of bears back on the landscape for another year.
WildSmart program director Nick de Ruyter said the day will be chock full of useful information about all aspects of bear behaviour and how humans interact with them.
“It’s also a great opportunity for residents and visitors to learn more about the bears in our area and to refresh their bear safety knowledge and skills so they are prepared for the upcoming season,” he said.
Indoor and outdoor activities that will be available include bear spray demonstrations, bear safety talks, a bear trapping demonstration, bear awareness hikes, a kids’ bear story time and bear-related booths and displays.
In attendance will be Alberta Parks ecologists, park rangers and interpretation staff, conservation officers, Alberta Fish and Wildlife officers, Parks Canada public outreach staff, Town of Canmore officials, volunteer wildlife ambassadors, bear monitoring and aversive conditioning volunteers, and more.
“You won't often find all these very knowledgeable and experienced bear experts all under one roof, so I encourage people to come to this event to take advantage of this opportunity to learn more about bears in a fun and interactive way,” de Ruyter said.
He added the day is especially important for kids, who will receive a comprehensive introduction to bear-smart behaviour in a fun and interactive manner.
“It is important to teach kids about our local wildlife and how they can best coexist with wildlife such as bears,” he said. “Not only do they learn valuable skills for themselves, they can also pass this knowledge on to their parents and friends.”
De Ruyter said it is never too early to learn about bears, and residents of the Bow Valley and its nearby communities all need to lead by example.
“Bear Day is the perfect place for people of all ages to come learn how to be more bear aware and be able to pass this information on to others,” he said.
The hands-on interactive activities are particularly popular, de Ruyter said.
“The bear spray demonstrations, bear trapping demonstration and the bear awareness hikes are always a big hit, as these are valuable and useful experiential learning opportunities,” he said. “Many people carry bear spray, but don’t actually know how to use it or are hesitant to use it.
“Bear Day is the perfect place to practice and get comfortable using bear spray so that you are prepared when you need it.”
He said organizers are happy to be back in business after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the event of inclement weather, the majority of activities are able to be held indoors.
WildSmart is a proactive conservation program that encourages efforts by Bow Valley communities to reduce negative human-wildlife interactions.
The Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley implements WildSmart in close collaboration with Alberta Parks, the Town of Canmore, and the Municipal District of Bighorn.
One of the demonstrations will show how a bear culvert trap works. Ecologist John Paczkowski and conservation officer Melanie Pachkowski will trap a grizzly bear “volunteer” in this half-hour demonstration starting at 12:30 p.m.
Bear Safety Talks will run at 9:30 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. in the Main Day Lodge Banquet Room (upstairs). Bear Safety Talks can be also be watched live via this Zoom Link.
For other program details, go to biosphereinstitute.org.
Later in the day the Biosphere Institute will be having an Earth Day celebration at the Canmore Brewing Company, starting at 3 p.m.
Every month, the Canmore Brewing Company has what they call their “Give Back Tap,” in which they steer 50 per cent of all revenue received from the sale of a particular beer to a particular charity. They have chosen the Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley as their charity of choice for the whole month of April, and the beer on offer is the brewery’s Hazy Pale Ale.
