Bear Smart Community initiatives are becoming more popular in North America and around the world. These initiatives join and leverage the actions of individuals into community-wide efforts. In almost every case, the commitment and hard work of local residents grow these efforts in their communities by engaging a variety of stakeholders in win-win solutions. Many municipal, local, state, and provincial governments also have joined these efforts by supporting or setting up formalized Bear Smart Community (or similarly named) programs.

Background

British Columbia has been a pioneer in developing a program to reduce human-bear conflicts in communities across the province. Designed by the Ministry of Environment in partnership with the British Columbia Conservation Foundation and the Union of British Columbia Municipalities, B.C.'s Bear Smart Community Program provides an approach with detailed criteria and advice on how to develop a Bear Smart Community initiative. The B.C. Bear Smart Community effort became a certification program that was adopted in other locales in Canada.

Since the B.C. program started years ago, practitioners and community leaders in other countries have applied the Bear Smart Community idea in different forms. In the US, a grizzly bear agency management group developed and endorsed a BSC framework similar to the Canadian model, but as a guide — not as a certification program. The guide, or framework, recommends establishing a committee, completing a community assessment, developing a community plan, and implementing the plan. Even prior to this endorsement, communities in Colorado, Montana, Florida, and others had been applying variations of the Bear Smart approach or some aspect of community-level bear conflict prevention work. In the Northern Rockies (MT-ID-WY), the framework catalyzed a number of community initiatives, some engaging with the Bear Smart framework and others working towards community conflict prevention by focusing on one attractant, such as solid waste, fencing projects, or education.

What is the Bear Smart Community Approach?

The Bear Smart Community Program is based on a set of activities that in some locations can be accomplished sequentially and in others, more in a number of parallel processes. However an initiative progresses, it takes years, requiring commitment and patience. Since every community is different physically, demographically, culturally, and in other ways, the Bear Smart Community process has to tailored to the specifics of each locale. The general concepts of a BSC process are:

• Learn and build engagement. Gather information, talk with different people about their interest, and get an initial sense of what will be needed to start an initiative. Once there is interest and momentum, some communities form a Bear Smart Committee or working group to oversee the process, implementation, and ideally the sustainability of the community program. Forming a group can take time and often occurs while other activities are undertaken by the initial leaders. In this case, communities wait to form a working group until they have established some engagement, important stakeholders participating, and perhaps some project work.

• Complete a bear conflict/hazard assessment. This is an important early step so that community leaders understand what the problems are and can begin to address them while developing a management plan.

• Prepare a human-bear conflict management plan that is designed to address the risks and conflicts identified in the assessment. This action plan includes a number of solutions or mitigations community members can apply. A plan can take years to implement in full, but there may be high priorities that leaders address in early stages.

• Implement the plan: Address attractants at large, disseminate an effective education program directed at all sectors of the community, and develop and maintain an effective bear-resistent municipal solid waste management system.

• Sustain the initiative. Continue the effort by updating plans to be consistent with changing circumstances, including the consideration of developing/enforcing bylaws prohibiting the provision of food to bears as a result of intent, neglect or irresponsible management of attractants. Bylaws, regulations, and ordinances are not required for a successful initiative, but in some places are supported by the public or local officials and may help reduce conflicts.

Explore the different sections on this site under Bear Smart Communities to learn more about how to build a Bear Smart Community and to find resources. Check out Success Stories to see what others have done.