How bear aware is Revelstoke?

A figure of a Grizzly bear in some of the options for the City of Revelstoke’s updated logo has some community members voicing concern that using the motif doesn’t match with Revelstoke’s history of bear interactions.

“I find it ironic to have a bear in the logo as we destroy their habitat and euthanize so many,” Benji Andringa commented on a Revelstoke Mountaineer post about the proposed logo designs.

Revelstoke made national news multiple times due to the number of bears euthanized by local conservation officers, including reports in 2016 after nine habituated bears were euthanized in one week and in 2022 when the total reached 12.  

“I also find it ironic that in a town without a secure garbage program and that is often associated with a wildlife body count, the ‘iconic’ bear is our logo of choice,” community member Ross Dee commented.

But Revelstoke is on the path to being a safer community for bears, Maggie Spizzirri, community coordinator for Revelstoke Bear Aware told Revelstoke Mountaineer.

“I really think Revelstoke is on the right course in helping reduce bear interactions and general safety.” 

Here’s what Revelstoke residents, visitors and the city should know to help mitigate wildlife interactions in and around Revelstoke as various bear species become more active in the region this spring.

Grizzly vs. black bear

Grizzly iconography is found throughout Revelstoke. From the Grizzly Plaza at the center of downtown and the welcome statues that greet traffic entering through Victoria Road, to the beloved local hockey team, the Revelstoke Grizzlies. The grizzly bear has even been a focal point in Revelstoke current logo, a nod to the statues at Grizzly Plaza.

“I think it’s part of the nature of the community,” Spizzirri said. “We live right next to a park, we’re in a valley surrounded by mountains. It’s part of where we live.”

Grizzly bears are frequently found throughout the alpine regions in the area, leading to bear aware notices by Parks Canada, which monitors the higher regions and park areas for wildlife activity. While black bears are frequently reported within city limits, Spizzirri would warn against not being grizzly bear aware as well.

“Just because people in Revelstoke don’t see grizzly bears, that does not mean that grizzly bears are not in our community,” Spizzirri explained, noting that a grizzly bear in the region makes their way down to Revelstoke’s Bridge Creek area to feed on kokanee salmon seasonally.

Bear proofing solutions

While residential garbage is not 100 per cent bear-secure, the City of Revelstoke have made bear-secure community garbage cans a priority in previous budgets and continue to explore other bear-secure options to help mitigate attractions. The city has been making progress Spizzirri assured, but it’s a progress that financially takes some time and work as the city applies for various funding opportunities to update city waste trucks and other waste resources to be bear proof.

Bear-proof bins and waste receptacles aren’t the only solutions the City of Revelstoke and Revelstoke Bear Aware encourage residents to focus on. Fruiting trees become an enticing food source for bears, and Spizzirri encourages property owners to explore the Gleaning Project, a program that connects fruit tree owners with volunteers who can pick ready fruit from the trees to be shared between property owners, volunteers and community food programs such as the Community Connections Food Bank and Food Recovery Program.

“That easy-to-access fruit, that’s a huge attraction for our black bears in the area,”

The City of Revelstoke added bylaws for homeowners to maintain their fruit trees in 2017, with the bylaw stating fruit and nuts that have fallen from a tree or bush must be removed from the ground and properly disposed of within two days. Other sources of seeds and nuts should also be maintained and possibly even brought in until winter months, Spizzirri explained.

“Your bird feeders, we really encourage folks to not have those out until winter when food resources for birds are a lot less,” Spizzirri said, noting that so far a bear-proof bird feeder has not passed bear tests.

“They’ll climb, they’ll hang off the wire you have it strung on. Bird seed mixtures contain a lot of fatty resources that are really enticing.”

For Revelstoke to continue growing as a bear-friendly community, Spizzirri said a focus on education remains one of the best solutions.

That can include educating folks on properly securing and maintaining outdoor deep freezers, barbecues, smokers and fire pit grills. Another thing residents can do is bring trash out the morning of waste pick-up to ensure bears don’t have access overnight. 

“If we can provide that education for people, we can make Revelstoke more bear safe,” Spizzirri said. She’s encouraged by the steps the City of Revelstoke and residents have taken over the years to better protect bears and residents from coming in contact with one another. When asked if those steps could maybe make Revelstoke worthy of the grizzly bear being part of the logo and city iconography, Spizzirri said she thinks Revelstoke has picked an incredible animal to try and represent the city.

“They’re so amazing. How they move about the area and how important they are in the ecosystem makes them a beautiful animal,” Spizzirri said. “I think if Revelstoke is represented by something as strong and majestic and kind as a bear, then you know, we could do worse.”