High Country Rural Crime Watch

(Page 15)

BearSmart
A reminder from Fish and Wildlife, High River to all Foothills residents that around April 1st the bears will start emerging from hibernation. The end of hibernation is more the result of increased daylight than weather conditions. The two species of bears that inhabit our area, including east of Highway 22, are the Black and Grizzly Bears.

Fish and Wildlife offer the following suggestions to help keep bears away from your yard:
Keep garbage and recyclables in bear resistant, airtight containers. Look into using an indoor composter. Consider removing bird feeders from April to October and clean up any spilled seed or grain. Clean barbeques after use and store in a shed or garage if possible. Consider landscaping choices, avoiding fruit and berry producing trees and bushes; alternatively remove ripening fruit as early as possible. Never leave food out for wildlife. If you feed your pets outside remove left over food. Talk to neighbours and alert them if you see a bear. Bears are more active in the early morning and around dusk.

You can visit the website: www.srd.alberta.ca/BearSmart for more detailed information.