Did you know that WildSmart is a program of the Biosphere Institute, a local charity? Our work relies entirely on donations and sponsors. If you would like to support our community-based efforts to promote human-wildlife coexistence, please donate now!
BEAR ACTIVITY UPDATE (Sep.10, 2026)
(Banff National Park East Gate to Bow Valley Provincial Park)
There are steady reports of black bears in and around Canmore and fruit trees in town seem to be the main attractant (specifically chokecherry and pin cherry trees), and a young black bear has been seen regularly feeding in cherry trees in the Cougar Creek/Eagle Terrace/Benchlands areas.
Bear activity in K-Country has slowed down as the grizzly bears are spending most of their time at higher elevations. That being said this is not a time to be complacent as there are many uncollared bears and black bears still roaming around in the valley bottoms. All trails users need to be mentally prepared to encounter a bear while out recreating and a reminder that day-use areas and campsites need to be kept clean, and wildlife attractants need to be properly secured. To avoid negative wildlife encounters, make lots of noise to alert wildlife of your presence, travel in groups, stay on designated trails, keep dogs on a leash at all times, give them the space they need to forage undisturbed, be extra aware of your surroundings (looks for fresh tracks and scat) and always carry bear spray in an easily accessible location (not your backpack) and know how to use it!
Don’t expect bears to move just because you’re making noise, and never try to sneak past a bear on a trail! Making noise can help to reduce surprise encounters, but bears may not want to give up their food sources. Food is still constantly on a bear’s mind and they are very focused on eating as much food as possible in advance of their upcoming winter hibernation.
Fruit Trees: Bears are so focused on food this time of year that they are more likely to take risks, like coming into town and backyards to feed in fruit trees. Letting a bear access these higher calorie items such as crabapples won't do it any favours. Once they try these food sources they can learn that towns provide easy meals, meaning they're more likely to stick around and come back. This can become a public safety issue as bears can get protective of food sources, leading to conflicts between bears and humans, with bears normally paying the price by getting relocated or killed.
Relocated bears generally have a fairly low chance of survival (around 30%), but moving a bear in the fall is especially difficult as they need to eat as much as possible before their winter hibernation.
We all need to work together to stop encouraging bears to come into town. That means we all need to STOP feeding them by removing all potential wildlife attractants from our yards, including fruit from our trees and ground, berries, pet food, garbage, bird feeders, recycling and greasy bbqs. If we remove the food sources, we remove the problem! Just because you have never had a bear in your fruit tree before, it does not mean it can’t or won’t happen. Even ornamental fruit trees (that typically do not attract bears) can and will attract bears.
Residents need to step up and start having friendly conversations (not confrontations) with friends, family and neighbours with fruit trees in their yards about the importance of removing fruit to keep people and bears safe in the Bow Valley! Some key points to discuss are:
Remove your fruit trees or their fruit. As per the Community Standards Bylaw in Canmore, 55.1- No Person or Owner shall permit or allow a Wildlife Attractant to be placed or remain in an outdoor location where it attracts Dangerous Wildlife. This means that if a bear is found feeding in your fruit tree, the first offence would be $1,000!
There are still funds available for the Town of Canmore’s Fruit Tree Removal and Replacement Incentive Programs so take advantage NOW before the money runs out AND before you attract a bear into town and/or get a large fine!
If you want to help save bears, report all sightings of bears in town to 403-591-7755.
Black bear eating chokecherries in Canmore this week!
VIEW CURRENT WARNINGS AND CLOSURES
Elk Rut Advisory - The elk rutting season has begun and will last until mid-October. Bull elk are dangerous so keep at least 30 metres away from all elk and never get between a male and the females.
A reminder to please report any sightings of a bear, cougar, wolf or any aggressive wildlife in the Bow Valley or K-Country to Kananaskis Dispatch at 403-591-7755. In Banff, call Dispatch at 403.762.1470. They prefer to get first hand reports from the people who see the wildlife!
SOME THINGS TO ‘BEAR’ IN MIND
Bugling bull elk signal the start of the elk rut in the Bow Valley which will last until mid-October. Male elk are particularly protective of the female elk they are with and they may become aggressive towards anything that comes too close. Elk frequently hang out in wide open fields such as school yards and playing fields around town. Parents: As students head back to school, have a conversation with your children about giving wildlife lots of space and calmly leaving the area if they see elk or other wildlife. The best way to keep them at ease is to stay at least 30m away - which is three school bus lengths (preferably over 100m away) - NEVER TRY TO SNEAK PAST THEM and never get between a male elk and the female elk. Remember: keep pets on a leash, carry bear spray in an easily accessible location, and if an elk charges, consider using your bear spray or position a large object (e.g. car, large tree) between you and the elk. Even if you are going for a leisurely walk in Canmore, you should be carrying bear spray and keeping your distance from all wildlife! Never approach elk up close as they are wild animals that can react unpredictably! RELATED ARTICLE: It’s Elk Mating Season and here’s what to do if an elk charges.
Give elk plenty of space, at least 3 school bus lengths! Photo by Edward Taylor on Unsplash.
Managing wildlife attractants: Do not leave garbage out on the trails, in parks or day use areas, and do not leave any food unattended - even for a minute. If you plan on doing some camping, remember to keep your campsite clean and garbage free! Make sure that bear attractants such as garbage, food and scented items are secured in your vehicle, hard-sided trailer or bear-proof lockers. Never leave food and scented items in tents as bears can easily access them and always dispose of garbage in bear-proof bins. Take out food only as you need it. This way, you can avoid having too much food out at any one time. If a bear (or any wildlife) approaches your picnic table and food, yell and shout to try to scare the bear away, do your best to secure your food, and use your bear spray to prevent the bear from getting that food reward. It is crucial that you do your best to make sure bears do not get any food rewards as it could result in bears getting relocated or killed.
WILDLIFE AMBASSADOR WORDS OF WISDOM
Parks Canada, Alberta Parks, and even the US National Parks System tell you to stay 100 m away from bears. What does that look like? In this short video below, Wildlife Ambassadors Derek & Karen will show you what it looks like to be 100 m or 100 yards away from a bear, but how you can STILL get great photos of them!
Watching for Bear Signs: Kananaskis Country is home to a lot of animals, including bears. Recreating safely in bear country means more than just knowing what to do in a bear encounter. It’s also understanding signs that bears are around, so that maybe those encounters can be prevented.
Bears are big enough that they almost always leave evidence that they’ve been present – if you know what to look for. Keeping your eyes peeled for this evidence can help you be aware if bears are present, and will decrease the risk that you’ll accidentally run into a bear. Every month we’re going to learn about some of the signs bears leave in the forest, and in this edition of Watching for Bear Signs by Derek Ryder, Volunteer Wildlife Ambassador & IGA Interpretive Guide, it is Flipped Rocks.
A prime food for bears any time they’re awake is ants. A few months ago, I noted that broken logs were a good sign bears were going after Carpenter ants. Being opportunistic feeders, bears often just sniff for things on their travels. Finding an ant colony as they walk from point A to point B is kind of a food “freebee”. And one place ants live is under rocks.
It is not the slightest bit uncommon to be walking on a trail, through a meadow, or in an open forest, and find rocks that have been flipped over. Usually, the flipped rocks are big; the bigger the rock, the more that can hide under it. In the last few weeks alone, I’ve seen rocks flipped over that were so heavy, it was hard for me to move them. Click here to read Derek’s full article about Flipped Rocks!
Click on this image of a flipped rock to read the full article!
FOOD FOR THOUGHT?
As mentioned earlier, there is lots of visible fruit on trees in town, specifically chokecherry and pin cherry, that is attracting black bears into Canmore! It is YOUR responsibility to make sure that bears do not have a reason to linger in your yard, resulting in bears being relocated or killed. Remove your fruit trees or their fruit, or you may face steep fines and be responsible for killing a bear! The best practice is to remove fruit bearing trees and shrubs from your yard, however if you decide to keep your fruit bearing trees and shrubs, ensure the fruit is removed ASAP!
Here are some important reminders and info about fruit trees for Canmore residents:
Residents can be fined for letting fruit and berries accumulate on trees and on the ground in their yards as per the Community Standards Bylaw.
If you decide to remove and replace your fruit tree (recommended), there are still funds available for the Town of Canmore’s Fruit Tree Removal and Replacement Incentive Programs so take advantage NOW before the money runs out AND before you attract a bear into town and/or get a large fine! Applications are still open while limited funds are available so click here to apply now!
For those residents who are hesitant to remove their fruit trees, bears that get into fruit trees can cause extensive damage to the trees with the end result of the tree dying and often having to be replaced anyways.
WildSmart has pruning shears and extendable pole saw pruners and fruit pickers that can be borrowed (free of charge) to assist Bow Valley residents in removing fruit and berry bushes from their property. Please send an email to resource@biosphereinstitute.org to make arrangements to borrow the fruit removal equipment.
Picked fruit can be put in the residential food waste bins around town. Leaves, branches and clippings can be put in the appropriate bins at the Boulder Crescent Recycling Depot.
Check out the Alberta BearSmart Fruit Trees and Bears fact sheet for more info!
WILDLIFE IN THE NEWS
Canmore Killed Two Beavers, Raising Questions About What Comes Next.
Woman airlifted to hospital after bear attack near Whistler, B.C.
Black bear wanders through Edmonton neighbourhoods overnight.
Man survives grizzly bear attack while walking off-leash dog in Shuswap.
Bear warning in place for Skoki Valley after grizzly seen in close encounter with hiker and dog.
Hungry black bears are running into trouble in the Rocky Mountains.
‘So big and so close’: spotting endangered bears on a trip to northern Spain.
Fat Bear Week is back: Meet this year's contenders.
Deadly bear incidents put Whistler attractant management back in spotlight.
Cameras capture BC sea wolf raiding crab traps in first possible ‘tool use’.
AND NOW SOME PAWS-ITIVE NEWS
A Big Win for Waste Reduction at Canmore Folk Music Festival!
Every year, the Biosphere Institute coordinates the Green Team at the Canmore Folk Music Festival. This year’s Canmore Folk Music Festival achieved an impressive 90.4% waste diversion rate, keeping 2,205 kg of material out of landfill. This year, the festival also used and processed an incredible 31,751 reusable foodware items, helping prevent tens of thousands of single-use cups, containers and cutlery from entering the waste stream. A huge congratulations and thank you to everyone who helped make these results possible including festival staff, funding partners and our dedicated Green Team volunteers!
Our fabulous Marie who managed the Green Team at this year’s Folk Fest!
UPCOMING EVENTS
Sep.19 - Bear Smart Community Day in Fish Creek Provincial Park in Calgary from 12-4pm. This FREE family friendly public event will have a variety of presentations on bears & wildlife awareness, interactive displays, kids activities and crafts, experiential bear encounter hikes and much more! Our Wildlife Ambassadors will also be there with their hands-on interactive booth. Come on by, learn how to use bear spray and chat with them about responsible trail use, managing wildlife attractants, and how we can all work together to improve human-wildlife coexistence. Click here for more info!
Sep.19 - Harvest Carnival in Exshaw from 11am-4pm. WildSmart and our Wildlife Ambassadors will also be there with their hands-on interactive booth from 12-4pm. Come on by, learn how to use bear spray and chat with them about responsible trail use, managing wildlife attractants, and how we can all work together to improve human-wildlife coexistence.
Oct.1 - Friends of Kananaskis Country Speaker Series. In celebration of the Friends of Kananaskis Country’s 30th anniversary they are bringing back the Speaker Series. To kick it off, they are excited to host Dr. Melanie Dickie, a caribou ecologist who studies how habitat disturbance and climate change interact to shape wildlife communities. Her research focuses on the relationships between caribou, their predators, and their prey, and on understanding how changes to the landscape can alter these relationships and contribute to caribou declines. The underlying concepts regarding caribou are relevant to landscapes such as Kananaskis, where people and wildlife increasingly share space. Join the Friends of Kananaskis Country and Dr. Melanie Dickie on October 1, from 7-9:30 pm at City and Country Winery in Calgary. Complimentary appetizers and a glass of wine will be provided to attendees. Tickets are free, though donations at the door are welcomed and appreciated. Click here for tickets now!
Nov.13, 2026 - Do-Si-Do with the Biosphere at our Fourth Annual Square Dance Community Fundraiser! Join us for a boot-stompin’ night of live music, square dancing, good company, light snacks, a silent auction, and plenty of laughs. No square dance experience needed—our fantastic caller will teach you every step!
When: Friday, November 13, 2026
Where: Canmore Creekside Hall (New Location!!!)
Early Bird tickets are available until September 25 — grab yours now and save!
Tickets: Click here to buy your ticket now!
Silent auction, cash bar, dancing, 50/50 and light snacks! All proceeds support the Biosphere Institute and our work advancing climate action and human-wildlife coexistence throughout the Bow Valley. Bring your friends, bring your boots, and come dance for a good cause.
Nov.25-27 - Registration is now open for the 2026 Building for Sustainability Symposium! Join us in Canmore for three days of learning, connection, and practical conversations about the future of the built environment. This year’s Symposium explores the themes of Innovation | Collaboration | Small Changes, Big Impacts, bringing together builders, developers, architects, engineers, municipal leaders, sustainability professionals, and others working to create more resilient, efficient, and sustainable communities.
The program will feature engaging workshops and panel discussions, technical demonstrations, inspiring speakers, networking opportunities, and field trips showcasing real-world projects throughout the Bow Valley. Whether you work directly in the building industry or are interested in how our communities can build better, we invite you to be part of the conversation. Registration is now open. Explore the program and reserve your spot NOW!
Please remember BEARS CAN BE ENCOUNTERED ANYWHERE, ANYTIME!
Report any sightings of a bear, cougar, wolf or any aggressive wildlife in Kananaskis Country or the Bow Valley to Kananaskis Dispatch at 403.591.7755