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Bear Update: Spring bear forecast and education programs

Black Bear Researcher Den emergence, yearling survival, and cub forecast The window of den emergence for bears is April. A few bears emerged in early March as a result of the mild, early to mid-winter.

Black Bear Researcher

Den emergence, yearling survival, and cub forecast

The window of den emergence for bears is April. A few bears emerged in early March as a result of the mild, early to mid-winter. Significant snowfalls above mid-elevations during March, however, may have been adequate to keep bears in a secured denning state, unaware of changes in temperature and precipitation. If den entrances are efficiently covered, occupants will not feel ambient conditions as fast. Snowfalls of March likely prevented more bears from emerging earlier.

April will see lone adults and sub-adults begin emerging first, followed by mothers with yearlings (16-month-old cubs) by mid-late April and mothers with COY (cubs-of-the-year) during early to mid-May. Yearlings remain with mothers until late May to late June, when mothers force separation to begin subsequent courtship. The cause of many bear/human conflicts in Whistler stems from this dispersing sub-adult bear-class striving to forage and survive while avoiding dominant bears.

Survival rate of cubs after their first hibernation (with their mother) and emergence as yearlings to 19-months is high (95 per cent). An 11-month-old cub enters the den at 30 to 50 kg and will emerge having lost 10-50 per cent of its body weight. Emerging 16-month yearlings may be of two sizes: the smaller "border collie-size" and the larger "German shepherd-size" both with "Mickey Mouse" ears.

The first four years of a bear’s life post-parental care are extremely tough. Yearling survival will be determined later this month at or near den emergence as five mothers are expected with yearlings and six expected with cubs. There are potentially a minimum of 11 yearlings to disperse through Whistler Valley.

The spring forecast for new-born cubs is considered low due to the poor 2002 berry crop. Drought conditions limited berry size and extended drought increased onset of shriveling. Smaller berries limit bear foraging efficiency and lower berry feeding days, reducing potential weight gain. Some female bears, however, were gaining weight. Females may expand movements to other berry habitats along the edge or outside of their territories and/or try to exploit human food to supplement the natural food shortage. Single cub litters may be the norm for this spring.

BBC Bear Documentary

I am advising on and partially filming for a second documentary on black bears in Whistler by the BBC Natural World (Bristol, UK). The theme of this film will be mother and daughter black bears – their behaviour, biology, and activities pre- and post-family break-up, including using a thermal imagery camera on denning bears this fall. Filming will be guided by the Whistler Black Bear Project in the Whistler-Blackcomb ski area and Whistler Interpretive Forest. Raw footage obtained from the first BBC bear film In the Company of Bears has made a vital contribution to the effectiveness of local bear education programs.

School Bear Education Programs

This spring I look forward to the RMOW sponsoring the 11 th seasonal bear education program since 1999 at Myrtle Philip Community School. Classroom bear awareness presentations have been conducted during spring (April-June) and fall (September-October) bear activity seasons for kindergarten to Grade 6 classes.

The bear skeleton project will also resume this spring. The bone cleaning process for this adult skeleton has taken almost a year with the resulting non-invasive technique of maceration yielding museum-quality condition. The skeleton project is sponsored by a municipal grant-in-aid (2002) and Whistler-Blackcomb Environment Foundation.

Students will also have reference to skeletal material from mule deer, coyote, and a black bear cub. Field trips will also be offered to Grade 5 students as a tradition of spring and fall bear habitat education.

Approximately 70 students and helping parents/teachers experience spring bear behaviour and habitat use characteristics in the Whistler Interpretive Forest. Students learn bear food plant identification, gross scat investigation, bear safety guidelines along hiking trails, and opportunistic sightings of bear activity at skunk cabbage swamps.

Community Black Bear Workshop Series

The Whistler Museum and Archives Society is partnering with the Whistler Black Bear Project to provide a monthly Community Black Bear Workshop Series. The series will be held at the Whistler Delta Village Suites across from the Whistler Museum on the third Tuesday of each month, from April to November. The purpose for this series is to provide public access to information collected during the last 10 years of Whistler black bear research. Locals and visitors can drop by between 7 and 9 p.m. to learn about bear behaviour and biology through displays, video, and physical artifacts; view ecological maps illustrating relationships of bear habitat use in Whistler and watch an informative slide presentation on a seasonal topic. The first workshop, Tuesday, April 15 is on Bears and weather .

Spring Bear Camps for Kids and Adults

Whistler Parks and Recreation is offering two separate sessions of Bears for Kids on Sundays, May 18 and June 8 from 7 a.m. to noon. Enrolment for each session is a maximum of eight kids. Parents must meet at the start of the west main Forest Service Road in the Whistler Interpretive Forest.

The new camp, Bears for Adults, is an intensive field opportunity introducing people who live, work, or recreate in bear country to the behaviour and habitat use characteristics of Whistler black bears. This program is perfect for newcomers to Whistler who want to get educated fast on bear basics. Bears for Adults is offered as a one-day intensive course on Saturday, May 31 from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and/or a two-part weekend course on May 24 and 25 from 6:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Participants of camps receive bear behaviour/biology handouts. Camps involve moderate hiking on/off trails, please come prepared. To register call 604-935-7529 and call me (below) for more information.

Questions or information about black bears please call 604-902-1660 in Whistler, 604-898-2713 in Squamish or e-mail mallen_coastbear@direct.ca Thanks to Pique Newsmagazine for support of nine years of bear education.