WildSafeBC invites everyone in British Columbia to join us in celebrating the fourth annual BC Goes Wild this September.

September is historically a month where human-bear conflicts are at their highest. BC Goes Wild coincides with this month to bring awareness to these issues while also promoting ways we can live, work, play and grow in wildlife country.

Local WildSafeBC community coordinators will be hosting events in their communities which will include activities such as nature walks, fruit presses, bear spray demonstrations, wildlife art and more. No matter where you live in BC, you can participate by entering our BC Goes Wild Photo Contest or by sharing your WildSafe activities by tagging us online #wildsafebc.

In Kimberley and Cranbrook, WildSafeBC Coordinator Danica Roussy will be hosting BC Goes Wild Events on September 21 and 22.

Saturday, September 21 (9– 10:30 a.m.): Bear Spray Demo and Wildlife Safety talk.  Meet at the College of the Rockies upper parking lot by the Community Forest entrance.

Sunday, September 22 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.: There will be an electric fencing demonstration and workshop by Gillian Sanders, Grizzly Bear Solutions. She strives to working to improve grizzly bear/human coexistence through education, collaboration, and use of practical tools, such as electric fencing.

Afterwards, there will be another Bear Spray Demonstration at 1 p.m., by Danica Roussy.

Followed by Wildsight’s Apple Capture/Harvest Party at 2 p.m.

For more information, check out the event posting on our Facebook page or contact us at [email protected].

The BC Goes Wild Photo Contest returns this year with three categories: WildSafe Wildlife, WildSafe Activities and WildSafe Rangers (for young photographers aged 13-17).

WildSafeBC recognizes that taking photos of wildlife can sometimes put people and wildlife at risk. As such, WildSafeBC has developed a Photography Code of Ethics that are required to be followed when submitting photos. The intent is reduce negative impacts on wildlife that may interfere with their natural behaviours or may put people at risk if they are too close to their subjects.

Tag us through Instagram, Facebook and Twitter #wildsafebc and share with us how you live, work, play and grow in B.C. in a manner that reduces conflict with wildlife and helps keep wildlife wild and your community safe. You may be featured in our #SaturdaySpotlight where we highlight innovative and practical ways people are #WildSafe. These activities can include:

• securing garbage and compost indoors until the morning of collection;
• picking fruit prior to it being fully ripe and letting it ripen in a secure location;
• using a properly installed electric fence to deter wildlife from accessing attractants;
• keeping your pet on a leash;
• carrying bear spray while running, hiking and biking in wildlife country;
• freezing smelly items until the day of collection;
• taking down bird feeders while bears and rodents are most active;
• packing out attractants from parks and other wild places;

We can all do our part in reducing conflict with wildlife which will help keep wildlife wild and our community safe. To learn more, you can contact your local WildSafeBC Coordinator Danica Roussy or visit www.wildsafebc.com.

WildSafeBC Kimberley – Cranbrook is grateful for the generous support the program receives from its funders including the Regional District of East Kootenay, Columbia Basin Trust, the City of Cranbrook, the City of Kimberley, the British Columbia Conservation Foundation and the BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy. If you would like to support our work, there are many ways you can get involved. Donations are always appreciated.

WildSafeBC Kimberley – Cranbrook

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