Revelstoke Bear Aware

08/10/2026

Every bear report matters.

While not every report requires a site visit, each one helps us identify patterns, respond to emerging issues, and educate the community about reducing bear attractants.

Our goal is simple: keep bears wild and people safe.

If you see a bear in or around Revelstoke, please report it. Your observations help us respond more effectively and build a clearer picture of bear activity throughout the season.

08/07/2026

08/05/2026

We've received multiple reports of bears along the Greenbelt and in the downtown area over the past few days. While bears can show up anywhere in Revelstoke, it's a little unusual to see this many reports in these areas at this time of year. Normally, bears are higher up feeding on natural food sources.

Why are they here? The most likely reason is access to residential food like garbage and fruit. It's also possible this year's berry crop isn't as abundant, so bears are spending more time searching for easy, high-calorie meals. The more often they find food around people, the more comfortable they become in our neighbourhoods—which increases the risk of conflict.

Here's how you can help:
• Secure your garbage every time.
• Pick fruit as soon as it's ripe.
• Walk in groups and make noise (your voice works better than bells or music).
• Keep dogs on leash and kids close. (Sorry, no leashes for the kids.)
• Carry bear spray, especially on early morning or evening walks.

Please continue reporting bear sightings to us. Your reports help us identify trends, alert the community, investigate potential attractants, and respond early before situations become more serious.

Let's work together to promote safety and harmonious coexistence!

08/03/2026

See a bear? Take a quick look—then keep moving.

It's exciting to spot a bear, but stopping to watch or photograph one can unintentionally create problems.

When vehicles stop:
🚗 Traffic backs up.
👀 More people gather.
🐻 Bears begin to associate roads with people.
⚠️ Bears spend more time near highways, increasing the risk of collisions.

If you see a bear along the roadside:

✔️ Slow down if needed.
✔️ Take a quick look.
✔️ Keep driving.
✔️ Never feed or approach wildlife.

The best bear sightings are the ones that don't change a bear's natural behaviour.

07/27/2026

Their nose knows.

Black bears rely on their incredible sense of smell to find food. They can detect odours from kilometres away when conditions are right.

That means:
🍎 Fruit left on trees
🗑️ Unsecured garbage
🍗 Barbecue grease
🐦 Bird seed
🐶 Pet food
..can all attract a hungry bear.

The good news? We can reduce those attractants before bears find them.

A clean yard helps keep bears wild—and everyone safe.

07/20/2026

Did you know? Not all black bears have black fur.

Black bears can be black, brown, cinnamon, blonde, or even (very rarely) white. We know—it can be confusing.

That's why it's important not to identify a bear by its fur colour alone. Instead, look at its overall shape and features. Black bears have:
• Taller, more pointed ears
• A straight facial profile
• No prominent shoulder hump
• Shorter claws

Grizzly bears, on the other hand, have:
• Smaller, rounded ears
• A dish-shaped (concave) face
• A noticeable shoulder hump
• Longer claws

Knowing the difference can help you respond appropriately if you encounter a bear. Whether it's black, brown, or blonde, always give bears plenty of space, keep dogs under control, carry bear spray, and know how to use it.

07/13/2026

What can 25 volunteers accomplish in six hours? Apparently, pick 400 pounds of cherries.

Our Gleaning Coordinator and an amazing group of volunteers spent the day picking cherries from public and private land around Revelstoke.

In one event, we removed potential bear attractants, supported local food security, shared fresh fruit with our volunteers and community, and composted fruit that was no longer usable. Around 250 lbs went home with volunteers, 90 lbs were donated to the food bank, and 70 lbs were composted.

Bear coexistence, food security, and waste diversion all wrapped into one pretty productive day.

A huge thank you to our volunteers and everyone who helped make the summer Pick-a-Thon such a success. We can’t wait to do it all again this fall!

07/07/2026

Our Gleaning Coordinator will be away for the month of July, so the Revelstoke Bear Aware Society will not be offering gleaning services during this time.

If you have questions about fruit trees or managing attractants, we're still happy to provide advice and answer questions by phone or email.

If your fruit is ripening while we're away, we encourage you to post your tree in local community groups to see if neighbours or volunteers are interested in harvesting it.

As a reminder, our gleaning program is volunteer-supported and has limited capacity. While we do our best to help where we can, we are not able to guarantee that every tree will be harvested each season. If you have a fruit tree that regularly goes unpicked and you're unable to maintain it, you may want to consider replacing it with a non-fruit-bearing species. Reducing attractants is one of the most effective ways to help keep bears wild and our community safe.

Thank you for your understanding and for doing your part to help reduce wildlife attractants in Revelstoke. We'll be back for plum and pear season.

06/28/2026

🍒 The Cherry Pick-a-Thon is underway!🍒

We’re so excited to kick off this first-ever event and see just how many pounds of cherries we can pick together. Thank you to everyone who signed up to join us. We can’t wait to share how it goes!

Stay tuned for updates (and the final cherry tally 🍒😉).

06/25/2026

🍒 Our Cherry Pick-a-Thon is officially FULL! 🍒

Thank you so much for the enthusiasm and support for this first-year trial event! We’ve capped registration to make sure everyone who signed up gets to take home a good haul of cherries.

We’ll be sure to share an update after the event, including how many pounds we picked 🍒👏

If all goes well, we’re hoping to do another Pick-a-Thon in the fall for apples and plums, so stay tuned!