Category Archives: gizzly-bear

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Incredible Spring Skiing in the Canadian Rockies

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With more and more bear sightings coming in, it’s hard to think about skiing and snowboarding….but you must!!! 2011 has so far been a record breaking year for snowfall and with the lower temperatures, the powder conditions are that of mid-winter.  Environment Canada predicted a later spring which has so far proven to be true.

Where to head? Sunshine Village in Banff National Park is still rocking with incredible snow conditions and no crowds. Even Easter was quiet this year due to it being a little later in the year than usual. Sunshine Village will wrap things up for the season on May 23 2011 with the 83rd annual Slush Cup. There is lots more going on including the Sunshine Village 3rd annual Bikinis for Breast Cancer fundraiser.

The video footage below was taken in March and April this year in Sunshine Village’s backcountry. These skiers are experienced expert locals and have all the right backcountry gear so please do not imitate!

Enjoy these excellent extended ski conditions and be sure to look out for bears, wolves, deer, elk and big horn sheep (to name a few) on the spring ski bus to Sunshine Village from Banff!

Thanks for reading and feel free to share your spring skiing and boarding experiences with everyone below!

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Prevent conflicts with wildlife

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They may sometimes appear unconcerned by our presence, but all park animals are unpredictable and potentially dangerous.

Keep your distance from wildlife

Always keep your distance.

Do not approach or entice wildlife. Use binoculars or a telephoto lens instead.

Remain at least:

– 100 metres (10 bus lengths) away from BEARS, COUGARS and WOLVES

– 30 metres (3 bus lengths) away from ELK, DEER, SHEEP, GOATS and MOOSE

Never leave food attractants out for wildlife.

Food attractants include:

– coolers (they are NOT bearproof!)

– food scraps or leftovers

– dishwater

– dirty dishes, pots or barbecues

– empty bottles, cans or wrappers

– toothpaste, soap or other toiletries

– pets

– pet food dishes (full or empty)

Be aware of your surroundings at all times.

Because it is impossible to predict how wildlife will react in any situation, avoiding encounters is the only sure way to keep people safe and wildlife wild.

– Always be on the lookout for animals or signs of their presence.

– Carefully supervise children whenever outdoors.

Source: Parks Canada

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Grizzly Bear Future

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Photo Credit: rocky-peak Holidays Ltd.


Grizzly expert to speak at Canmore High School Feb. 26

By Rob Alexander Source: Rocky Mountain Outlook

Bow Valley residents will have the opportunity to learn about the fate and future of grizzly bears in Alberta from one of Canada’s top grizzly bear researchers.

Gordon Stenhouse, program lead of the Foothills Model Forest Grizzly Bear Research Program, will present Grizzly Bear Research and Science in Alberta at the Canmore Collegiate High School Theatre, Thursday (Feb. 26) at 7 p.m.

Bow Valley WildSmart education program director Kim Titchener said Stenhouse plans to discuss the results of the decade-long research grizzly bear research program and how those results apply to grizzly bear conservation throughout Alberta.

“This one is so pertinent, it’s one of the main reasons why people even visit the valley and that’s one of the unique reasons about living here. It’s one of the few communities that coexist with wildlife and grizzly bears,” Titchener said Tuesday.

The Foothills Model Forest Grizzly Bear Research Program was initiated in 1999. It grew to become one of the largest and most comprehensive bear research programs in North America.

Stenhouse, who has researched polar bears, caribou, musk oxen, moose, Dall sheep, peregrine falcons, wolves and Arctic-nesting geese, has been with the Foothills Research Institute since 1998. He is on secondment from Sustainable Resource Development Fish and Wildlife and is an adjunct professor at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan. Stenhouse is also the past chairman of the Alberta Grizzly Bear Recovery Team.

The current population estimate of grizzlies in Alberta, based on Stenhouse’s DNA work, suggests the province is home to less than 500 grizzly bears, which were listed as a threatened species in 2002. At that time, the population was believed to include 1,000 individuals.

“The committee on endangered wildlife is saying the grizzly bear is a threatened species and that is a hard thing to swallow as an Albertan, to think that we might not have grizzlies living here in the future,” Titchener said.

The Province last year extended a moratorium on the grizzly bear hunt to this year, pending the results of a population survey. Before the moratorium, hunters killed an average of 14 bears a year.

Grizzly bear conservation is a political issue, Titchener said, with hunters disputing Stenhouse’s DNA population estimate.

“Everyone doesn’t necessarily agree with the management tactics or what the future management of bears are, but we all agree that we want bears on the landscape.” She said it is a starting point to finding a way for all of the different voices to work together to keep grizzly bears from disappearing from Alberta.

Stenhouse will also be able to answers questions on what the Province is planning to do next to further grizzly bear conservation.