Be Bear-Aware: Queen Charlottes Alert

August-September 1995

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.

 

The Gwaii Haanas Archipelago Management Board in the Queen Charlotte Islands has closed camping at Burnaby Narrows until further notice due to increasing bear activity.

Visitors are warned that bears represent a considerable hazard to public safety. Some bears at the Narrows have learned to associate camping gear with a source of food.

Bears have also been active in areas ranging from Huxley Island through to Swan Bay on the Burnaby side, and from Skaat Harbour to Bag Harbour on the Moresby Island side.

Bears are omnivorous, opportunistic feeders and have been shown to be dependent upon a wide range of seasonally dispersed habitats. Special caution should be exercised near estuaries and salmon streams. Camping is not advised in these areas.

Gwaii Haanas staff suggest the use of bear-proof containers for food and other scented objects. Containers should be stored 100 meters away from your camp. Alternatively, hang food in a tree, out of reach of bears, at least 5 meters up and 1.5 meters away from the trunk. Don't store food or garbage in kayaks.

Before establishing a camp, check to ensure there are no fresh signs of bears.

Gwaii Haanas staff ask the visitors report ALL interactions with bears to them or to Haida Watchmen. Habituation of bears to humans is a dangerous and progressive problem.

For further information on bears in Gwaii Haanas, contact Anders Hawkins 604-559-6324 or Doug Burles at 604-559-6313