Number of bear warnings, closures in Alberta’s Kananaskis Country rises due to bumper berry crop

According to Alberta Parks, the number of bear warnings and area closures in popular parts of Kananaskis Country is now at 17, an increase of three in a single day.

A statement from the Ministry of Forestry and Parks says, “The prime time for bear activity is from May until October. In July and August, bears are focused on eating as many buffalo berries as they can. This year’s crop is much more abundant than it has been over the past several years.”

Derek Ryder, a wildlife ambassador with Bow Valley WildSmart, says the berry bushes are found in abundance along the trails.

“It’s an edge-loving plant,” he said. “It lives on the edge of trails, on the edge of day-use areas, on the edge of campgrounds, on the edge of roads — on the edge of everything. And that’s exactly where the bears are. It is also exactly where the people are.”

One of the areas under a bear warning is in Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park, which is in Kananaskis Country.

A warning has been in place there since June 26, but Ryder says bear sightings and encounters have been especially active in the past week.

“We’ve had multiple bluff charges in the last couple of days. There’s been half a dozen or more bear spray deployments in Kananaskis Country this week,” he said.

“It’s bear after bear after bear. They’re all over the place. Black bears and grizzly bears.”

Ryder says the bumper berry crop is largely due to weather.

“We had a great amount of rain, but we also had warmth at the right time. And there’s also a bit of cyclicality to berry growth — and it just is one of those years. Perfect storm.”

Around this time of year, bears will eat about 200,000 berries a day. Due to the increased activity, Ryder and his team have been deployed to the Canmore Nordic Centre to educate people using the trails.

Pam Ellenberger, from Edmonton, and her cousin Josy Clarke, visiting from England, are hiking the Grassi Lakes Trail, which currently has a bear warning in place. They stopped by Ryder’s booth to learn more.

“This is really important, especially for tourists who don’t live here or are knowledgeable. This is very important — that they are aware of what the risks are,” said Ellenberger.

Alberta Parks advises people to do the following when on trails:

• Make noise
• Travel in groups
• Be aware of surroundings
• Watch for signs of bear activity
• Keep pets on a leash
• Carry bear spray — and ensure it’s easily accessible

These are the precautions Howard Mah and his wife say they will now take every time they visit the backcountry, after a frightening grizzly bear encounter in July in Kananaskis Country.

“It was quite frightening and traumatizing, to be honest.”

Mah says the bear followed them for a while and lunged at them a couple of times before eventually leaving the trail after he made loud noises.

“You know, my life did kind of flash before my eyes. And I’m thinking, you know, what do I do if he charges?”

Ryder says that if people do encounter a bear, they should stop, talk to the bear in a loud voice, and move slowly — not run.

“That creates what’s called the pursuit reflex. And because you ran, you’re going to get chased. Because that’s what prey does.”

The Forestry and Parks ministry says it is always looking for new and innovative ways to improve human-wildlife coexistence, including through aversive conditioning — a strategy used since 2000.

In a statement, the ministry said: “Aversive conditioning uses humane techniques like noise, approach and projectiles to reduce human-bear conflicts by teaching bears to be wary of humans and avoid facilities.”