Bear sightings on the rise Town inks agreement with MNR

Fort Frances residents are reminded to take precautions when it comes to black bears as more and more bruin activity is being reported each day.
The number of bears sightings in town has risen from nine two weeks ago to 25 as of yesterday, town bylaw enforcement officer Dave Egan said.
“It’s true that a lot of those could be the same bear sighted again and again, but they’ve been busy,” he remarked, adding most bears seemed to be coming out of the north end, and in some cases, wandering into the central and east parts of town.
No bears have been reported yet in the west end.
Egan noted bears haven’t caused much property damage aside from some raided garbage cans, and certainly haven’t proven threatening to people or pets.
“Basically, they’re going for garbage, fruit trees, acorn trees,” he said. “The most important thing I can say right now is place that garbage out only on the morning of pick-up.”
Some other tips residents can follow to prevent black bear activity from escalating, and ensuring public safety at the same time, include:
•clean up any garbage in your yard (garbage has been responsible for attracting bears to certain areas in recent incidents);
•dumpster lids should be closed;
•after barbecuing, burn off the grills;
•don’t compost with open containers; and
•leave the bears alone—remember, they’re wild and highly unpredictable.
While one live trap has been set at an undisclosed location in town, Egan noted no bear has been caught in it yet. Nor has he and fellow bylaw enforcement officer Arlene Byrnes had to remove and relocate any black bears so far this year.
There has been a number of bears spotted at the town landfill, but Egan said such activity isn’t unusual. Still, users always should be cautious of bears when disposing garbage there.
Residents also are urged not to go to the landfill just to see the bears.
Egan expects the bear activity to taper off later this month, but it sometimes has persisted until mid-October in the past.
Residents with bear complaints are directed to call the town’s bylaw department during the day (274-5323) or the OPP’s communications centre (1-888-310-1122) after hours.
When reporting a bear, complainants should be prepared to provide the following information:
•the location of the bear;
•number of times the bear has been sighted;
•time(s) of day the bear is sighted;
•possible attractants in area (birdfeeder, garbage, etc.); and
•what, if any, property damage occurred.
After a report is made, a bylaw officer and/or police may attend the scene, depending on the circumstances. Authorities then either will deploy a live trap, immobilize, and remove the bear, or destroy it if necessary.
In related news, town council passed a bylaw at its regular meeting Monday night to approve a municipal response agreement with the Ministry of Natural Resources to determine protocol for taking care of nuisance bears.
Under the agreement, the MNR will provide financial assistance to the municipality’s human-black bear conflict management activities as long as the town agrees to regularly communicate with, and report all information to, the ministry (such as the location of the reported bears).
The town also must follow certain protocol, such as using only certain trapping equipment, and keeping track of the gender of trapped bears (such as whether it is a sow with cubs, and if so, that the bear be accompanied by the cubs when relocated and released).
The agreement notes the town can use town-owned equipment—such as live traps, catch poles, a tranquilizer gun, and pole syringe—to capture nuisance bears.
The agreement says the town also can access one 2004 Cambrian sow/cub trap owned by the Crown, if necessary.
It also states the MNR shall review the information, reports, and performance of the town during nuisance bear season. If it is determined the town has fulfilled its obligations, the Crown will remunerate the town $20,000 in two instalments (one by Oct. 31, 2004; the other by Dec. 31, 2004).
If it turns out to be an unusually hectic bear season, the MNR will meet with the town for the purposes of possible amendments to the agreement.
Egan noted this agreement is not out of the ordinary, adding the town signs one with the MNR each summer. This most recent deal expires Dec. 31.