Submitted by WildSafeBC Columbia Valley
WildSafeBC is the provincial leader in preventing conflict with wildlife through collaboration, education and community solutions and is delivered by the BC Conservation Foundation in communities across B.C. Corinna Strauss is back this season as the WildSafeBC Fairmont Coordinator and new this season is Natalie Ebsworth as the WildSafeBC Invermere and Radium Coordinator. While the COVID-19 pandemic may be keeping many of us at home, that is not true for the bears and other wildlife that live nearby. As community coordinator, Strauss and Ebsworth will be working hard to reach out to community members in new and innovative ways that maintain physical distancing and safety for the community.
Natalie Ebsworth is the new WildSafeBC Invermere and Radium Coordinator for this season. Submitted photo
From now to November 30, Strauss and Ebsworth will be involved in a number of WildSafeBC modified program initiatives, including door-to-door information delivery campaigns, garbage tagging (if relevant in your community), and webinar delivery of our highly requested WildSafe Ranger Program for school–aged children as well as our Wildlife Awareness and Safety Education sessions. Please email Strauss and Ebsworth for more information on how to register for these free programs. We will continue to provide local wildlife activity news and tips as the season progress on our local Facebook page. We look forward to hearing from you, and with your help, we can reduce conflict with wildlife and keep our community safe.
For further information on wildlife and how to reduce human-wildlife conflict, visit www.wildsafebc.com, follow WildSafeBC Columbia Valley on Facebook, or contact your local community coordinator, Strauss for Fairmont, Area F & G at [email protected], (780)722-2589. For Invermere or Radium Contact Ebsworth at [email protected] or 778-694-2650.
Please report wildlife in conflict to the conservation officer Service 24/7 at 1-877-952-7277. Residents can also report sightings of bear, cougar, coyote or wolf in an urban area. These reports are uploaded daily to WildSafeBC’s Wildlife Alert Reporting Program (WARP), available at www.wildsafebc.com/warp. This program allows the public to see what wildlife has been reported in their neighbourhood and be alerted of new sightings.
WildSafeBC Columbia Valley is grateful for the generous support the program receives from its funders, including Columbia Basin Trust, District of Invermere, Village of Radium Hot Springs, Regional District of East Kootenay, B.C. Conservation Foundation, BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy and the Province of B.C.
