Bear Aware
What you do really matters
The natural curiosity of bears brings them into our communities. While exploring our residential area, they become ensnared in a web of garbage and other attractants. Bears are ruled by their stomachs; if they cannot find the food they need, they soon leave the area. Foraging in communities is a learned behaviour that threatens the safety of both bears and residents. If people do not make bear attractants such as garbage and fruit trees available, we can minimize human-bear conflict.
The WildSafeBC and the WildSafeBC Elk Valley websites are great sources of information about bears and how to keep bears and people safe.
If you see a bear, please phone the British Columbia Conservation Officer Service toll free at 1.877.952.7277. The District’s Community Standards Bylaw is part of its ongoing commitment to being a Bear Smart community and keeping citizens and bears safe. The bylaw provides regulations for waste and wildlife attractant management to help reduce human-bear conflict.
Report your incident to the BC Conservation Office Service at your first opportunity by calling the 24 hour RAPP (Report all Poachers and Polluters) at 1.877.952.7277.
For general information on managing your waste responsibly, please contact the Bylaw Enforcement Officer at 250.425.6271 (District Office), 250.425.6820 (Animal Pound) or by email at bleo@sparwood.ca. It is important for residents, visitors, business owners and property managers to become familiar with bear smart practices in the community.
Deer & Other Wildlife
Living with Wildlife
Sparwood is surrounded by wilderness that is home to an incredible array of wildlife, on major migratory routes where you can expect to see large herds of elk just outside of town as well as white tailed and mule deer.
Black and grizzly bear roam the mountainous forests with moose grazing in the wetlands while cougar laze in amongst the tall cedars. It’s not unusual to spot bighorn sheep and mountain goats while exploring the hillsides and cliff tops and if you cast your eyes skyward you will probably spot bald eagles, golden eagles and osprey from time to time.
Down in the valley bottom, the Elk River is home to the famed westslope cutthroat trout and large bull trout so if you are a fisherman what are you waiting for? The District has implemented the Community Standards Bylaw and Wildlife Management Strategy as part of its ongoing commitment to keeping citizens and wildlife safe. The key goal of the bylaw is to provide regulations for waste and wildlife attractant management to help reduce human-wildlife conflict. For general information on managing your waste responsibly, please contact the Bylaw Enforcement Officer at 250.425.6271 (District Office), 250.425.6820 (Animal Pound) or by email at bleo@sparwood.ca.
Hunting Restrictions
The District has implemented the Firearm Regulation Bylaw to establish a ‘no shooting area’ within the community. The no shooting area includes longbows and crossbows, as identified on the boundary map. Please note that private lands outside of the boundary map may also be off-limits to hunters.
For more information on hunting and trapping regulations, please visit the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations website for prior to your outing.
Report All Poachers & Polluters
The Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) Program is a toll free tip-line and web-based service provided through the Ministry of Environment that allows you to report known or suspected violations of fisheries, wildlife, or environmental protection laws – anonymously and without risk of confronting the offender.
If you have witnessed a serious violation, please call toll free:
1.877.952.7277 Ministry of Environment RAPP
1.800.465.4336 Fisheries and Oceans Canada for violations related to salmon If it is not an emergency, you can report the incident online or contact the Conservation Officer at 1.877.952.7277.
Offenses & Fines
| Offence | 1st Offense | 2nd Offence | 3rd Offense |
| Birdfeeder that is accessible to dangerous wildlife | $500 | $750 | $1,000 |
| Fail to maintain fruit tree/brush | $500 | $750 | $1,000 |
| Fail to store/dispose refuse or attractants appropriately | $250 | $300 | $500 |
| Fail to take remedial action to avoid wildlife conflict | $250 | $300 | $500 |
| Fail to use an approved wildlife container | $100 | $150 | $200 |
| Feed dangerous wildlife | $500 | $750 | $1,000 |
| Feed deer or other wildlife | $250 | $300 | $500 |
| Place attractants for dangerous wildlife | $500 | $750 | $1,000 |
| Place attractants for deer | $250 | $150 | $200 |
| Unlawful disposal or storage of waste | $100 | $150 | $200 |
Note* Fines are reduced by 50% if paid within 30 days of ticket issuance
Animal Attractant Tree Replacement Grant
This voluntary program is intended to help citizens who want to remove and replace a tree on their property that bears fruits or nuts that attract wildlife. This program is part of the District’s ongoing efforts to reduce human/wildlife conflict. This program provides $125 for each attractant tree replaced with a non attractant tree on a first come first served basis while funds remain.
WildSafeBC runs a complimentary program called the Elk Valley Fruit Tree Removal Subsidy Program to subsidize the removal of attractant trees. For more information on this program, please contact the program coordinator at fernie@wildsafebc.com or 250.430.3493.
Application guide
To apply for this grant you will need to do the following:
- Email planning@sparwood.ca with the following information:
- Your name and contact details and mailing address
- The civic address of your property where the tree is to be removed and replaced.
- A description of where on the property the tree is located.
- The common or scientific name of the tree(s) being removed (eg: apple tree or malus domestica)
- The common or scientific name of the proposed replacement tree(s). The replacement tree(s) cannot bear fruit or nuts.
- Once this is submitted the District will review the information and provide preliminary approval of the grant. The grant is provided once the attractant tree is removed and the new tree installed. To demonstrate removal and replacement please email planning@sparwood.ca and attach the following:
- A photo of the tree(s) to be removed
- A photo of the stump/hole of the removed tree(s)
- A picture of the installed replacement tree(s).
- Upon receipt of the information outlined in step 2, the District will process a cheque and mail it to the recipient of the grant.
We ask grant recipients to provide us with feedback on the program so that we can make improvements to it in the future.