Dark brown phased black bear
Bear Scat with Elderberry Seeds.
Black bear scat consisting of spring-time vegetation i.e. grass & clover
Black bear claw marks
Bears are opportunistic and will eat non-natural food like garbage
Black bear prints
Squamish is located in prime bear habitat. Bears are active from March to December, but some may not hibernate if they find non-natural food sources. While conflict encounters are uncommon, it is important to be alert and aware. Click on the image to view the WildSafeBC black bear brochure.
Stay safe and keep bears wild by following these simple guidelines:
Bears are attracted into our neighbourhoods because of available non-natural food like garbage and fruit. We can reduce the potential for human-bear conflict by simply managing attractants. Our neighbourhoods must be porous to wildlife activity. This means ensuring that wildlife can move through our community without being attracted to non-natural food. We do not want to invite wildlife to stop and stay.
Bears are opportunistic omnivores and will return time and time again to a readily available food source. However, if the attractant is secured or removed, the bear will move on.
Keeping bees and chickens may increase the chances of attracting black bears. Please take a moment to review the requirements for backyard hens and bees.
Note: For any wildlife attractant bylaw infractions, please contact the Bylaw Office at 604.815.5067. For wildlife sightings and encounters, please call the Conservation Officer Service 24 hour hotline at: 1-877-952-7277. For information on the local wildlife: wildlife@squamish.ca or 604.815.6866
On the Trails
The key to staying safe on the trails is to avoid surprise encounters:
If you encounter a bear
THROUGH THE SEASONS
Spring
Bears emerge from hibernation typically between March-April and they are lean and hungry. They can spend up to 8 hours a day eating willow and cottonwood catkins, the early shoots of skunk cabbage, grasses, horsetail, clover and dandelions. They don’t gain much weight on this diet and can continue to lose weight well into June and even into July. Bears will stay low in the valley bottoms during this time and will eventually follow the snowmelt up the mountainside in search of spring green-up and summer berries. Let’s keep them moving up the mountains by not attracting them into our neighbourhoods with non-natural food.
Summer
The search for food continues and with the summer comes ants and grubs which provide a much needed source of protein. Bears will rip apart rotten stumps and logs and roll over boulders in pursuit of insects and larvae. Summer time berries also provide much needed calories. Breeding season begins late May and ends in early July, these normally solitary animals can be seen together during these few months.
Fall
Berries, berries, and more berries! In preparation for hibernation, a bear’s appetite will increase and they can feed for up to 20 hours a day in order to pack on enough pounds to survive the winter. This increased feeding phase is called 'hyperphagia" or hyper eating. They can consume up to 20,000 calories per day, which is equal to a human eating 50 hamburgers per day. Bear activity typically increases in the Fall as they expand their search for last minute food sources. If you want to feed birds, keep in mind that birdseed is a non-natural food for bears and a typical seven-pound feeder contains a whopping 12,000 calories, making this food just too tempting to pass up. Late Summer and Fall domestic fruit crops are not a natural food source. Pick your fruit, collect all windfall and be Bear Smart. Salmon is an important natural food source in the fall, extra caution should be used in riparian areas where bears could be feeding.
Winter
Bears typically enter dens for hibernation in mid-November and will den in the cavity of dead trees or in small caves/rock cavities. They hibernate because their natural food sources are no longer available, not because it’s cold. If there is food available, bears will not hibernate. It’s essential to keep all non-natural food secure, even over the winter. So keep those garbage & organic totes locked twelve months of the year.
Squamish CAN has created the Squamish Food Swap and Share online community to encourage residents to exchange and offer their garden abundance, supplies and get help with harvesting fruit.
December 9, 2024 at 6:50 PM
Information regarding ongoing disruptions due to Canada Post strike action
The District is reminding residents of ongoing disruptions as a result of the Canada Post strike action.
December 3, 2024 at 7:32 PM
District seeks community input to shape future parking management in Downtown Squamish and tourism-based locations
The District of Squamish is seeking public input as it develops a plan to manage Downtown and tourism-based parking.
We use cookies to help improve our website for you.