Whistler is bear country, and this is one of our local black bears. It really took me years to be comfortable around them. 

As the Grizzly population is recovering on the west side of the highway, and we recreate more in the Rainbow- Sproatt- Callaghan area, we need to learn more about the Grizzly population. It seems I need to better understand our local grizzly bear population now.

 This spring we had several sitings of a young grizzly in the valley. After some closures due to grizzly and human interaction on the west side of the valley, I thought it was very timely of AWARE https://www.awarewhistler.org/ and the Whistler library to put on this presentation. It was recorded and will be posted online so more people can enjoy the lively and thoughtful discussion. I would encourage everyone to check it out.

In the meantime, these are the recommended steps for travel in grizzly terrain.

Travel in a large group and stick together.

Make noise, talking loudly, singing and clapping hands.

Be aware of your surroundings and watch for evidence of bears. Scat, digging, overturned logs etc.

Leash your dog at all times.

Carry bear spray and watch this video. Have the bear spray readily available, not in your pack.

 https://www.google.com/search?q=how+do+you+use+bear+spray&rlz=1C1SQJL_enCA795CA795&oq=how+to+safely+use+bear+spr&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0.11512j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#kpvalbx=_m27iXvTUGP7F0PEP0M2m2A836

Be prepared and enjoy our backyard with a group of friends and family!