The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
For many people summer means time at the lake, perhaps on a day trip or even using a camper or a cabin. Some cabin owners and campers face a common problem. They are in bear country and where there are people and bears there can sometimes be trouble. In many resorts, garbage disposal only occurs once a week and for bears garbage is a free meal. Every year Saskatchewan Environment conservation officers are called to deal with or even shoot bears that are getting into garbage cans. These bears are not only a nuisance they can also be a danger to people and pets. While dealing with problem wildlife is part of a conservation officer's job, there are some things people can do to help reduce the temptation garbage poses to a bear. Bears are opportunists and when they find a good source of food they will come back again and again. "Bears are intelligent and quickly learn how to open steel or plastic garbage cans," says Marvin Hlady of Saskatchewan Environment. "So people should be sure to use the garbage containers provided in campgrounds. Cabin owners could consider using "bear proof" garbage containers which are made from wood or steel and can be tightly sealed. There are also a couple other options, such as storing garbage in a locked shed until pick-up day or getting together with neighbours and building or buying bear proof garbage containers for each row or block of cabins. This limits the bear's ability to "shop" from can to can and leave trails of garbage." Environment's Hlady says any garbage a bear has left strewn around should be cleaned up immediately. Hlady also says when you leave your campsite or cabin to return home, don't leave your garbage behind. Instead take it with you or take it to an approved dumpsite. If garbage is left at the campsite or cabin it may be there for a number of days and could attract bears your neighbours will have to deal with. "When you see a bear in a resort area it may be just passing through," says Hlady. "If it doesn't find food it will not return. If it finds food, you will know by the evidence. If you see a bear around your cabin or resort area, don't try to deal with it yourself. Immediately call the local conservation officer and report the sighting." Environment's Hlady says repeat visits by a bear can spoil a vacation at the lake but, he says, no garbage may mean no bears.
