New residents to Burke Mountain are learning how to live with bears in their neighbourhoods thanks to the efforts of the local Bear Aware co-ordinator and a developer.
Drake Stephens has been making the rounds in new neighbourhoods in northeast Coquitlam the night before garbage collection day and is finding that most people are getting the message that trash has to be secured until between 5:30 and 7:30 a.m. on pick-up day.
"For the most part, they are obeying the rules," said Stephens, who went out last Sunday to check on garbage compliance. "The neighbours are talking to each other and are spreading the word. Some have talked to me, others are reading the paper but the word is getting around."
The number of reports of bear sightings is ramping up as the weather improves and bears are looking for natural food to bulk up after a lengthy hibernation. But Stephens is concerned some bears might be encouraged to start eating garbage if it's easily accessible.
Burke Mountain is an obvious target for his message because many people are moving into the area who are not used to bears. Drake said new residents are welcoming him and are sharing their bear stories.
Stephens has also been talking to local contractors about keeping their construction sites clean and free of garbage that may attract bears and so far the message seems to be getting out. He said he visited a construction site recently that was spotless.
Wesbild, which is developing the Foothills for 5,000 residents on Burke Mountain, has been helping get the Bear Aware message out, too.
The company's director of marketing, Jen Derbyshire, said the first issue of a newsletter for the neighbourhood is about bears and being Bear Aware, and construction managers have been issued air horns to scare away bruins. Site managers have also been told to keep their sites free of litter, she said.
"We're doing everything we can. With a number of different developers [working in the area], we can only control what happens on our land," Derbyshire said.
In 2002, Wesbild purchased 400 acres of land on Burke Mountain from the government and private landowners; it began building The Foothills in 2007.
