Lions Bay Bear Smart
We are a Bear Smart community
Living in the natural environment of Lions Bay means cohabitating with bears. We are one of only ten BC communities that has achieved Bear Smart status and have committed to reducing conflict between residents and our bears. We therefore take safety precautions seriously. Whether it is keeping the garbage in our homes secure or maintaining our properties under Lions Bay bylaws; human behavior dictates bear behavior. LEARN MORE
How we earned our Bear Smart status
Between 1999 and 2001 Lions Bay experienced a rash of human bear conflicts that resulted in a number of bears being destroyed. Concerned residents and councillors combined efforts to reduce bear/human conflicts, and since then, the municipality has been very proactive with bear management. In 2007, a Bear Smart Committee was formed. Bear Smart grants combined with Village contributions helped fund a Bear Hazard Assessment in 2005 and then the Human/Bear Conflict Management Plan in 2010. The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change awarded “Bear Smart Community” status to Lions Bay in 2011 and a commemorative bear statue was commissioned to celebrate this achievement.
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As part of our commitment to being Bear Smart, Lions Bay’s Garbage and Recycling Collection Bylaw prohibits residents from placing waste/recycling curbside before 5 am on collection day (Friday) and from allowing wildlife access to any outside stored food sources. Our goal is to ensure that bears move naturally through the community without alteration to their natural behavior or eating habits, and that no negative human/bear encounters occur.
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