Free safety event stresses importance of bear spray

Frances Dover has seen her share of bears on her acreage near Millarville, including the ones who occasionally peer inside her house.

"With their paws they will press on the window," Dover said. "They just want to see what's going on."

Dover isone of dozens of locals who have signed up for a bear safety workshop run by government, community and environmental groups for ranchers and acreage owners inMillarvillethis weekend.

Residents in her neighbourhoodsay they've witnessed an increase in bear activity this year, and grizzlies have been sighted one kilometre north and south of her community, she said.

"You can't blame it on the bear," said Dover.

"Why should they go and forage for nothing when they've got campsites, garbage cans?"

Living in 'bear country'

The free bear safety workshopis meantspecifically for people who liveand workin close proximity togrizzly and black bears.

"There's a lot of people seeing bears, particularly grizzly bears, for the very first time and it's making them uneasy," said provincial human wildlife conflict biologist Jay Honeyman, one of the event speakers.

While Honeyman isnot certain there are actually morebears in the area,he saidresearchers believe the animals are moving further east than they have in the past.

The workshop,the seventh one organized in recent years, will include educational presentations as well as an opportunity for attendees to get some hands-on practice with bear spray.

"We live in bear country, so learning about bear behaviour and having effective protection measures is really important information for residents to know about," saidMD of Foothills Coun.Suzanne Oel, one of the event organizers.

The event will include video that showsbest practices to prevent dangeroushuman-wildlife interactions and will help identify what dangerous bear behavior looks like.

Oel hopes participants will walk away from the workshop feeling comfortable and confident enough to use bear spray.