Last week, a hungry bear ripped a tent at Spray Lakes West Campground in Kananaskis Country. The week before that, the bear stirred up trouble after chewing on non-food items at two different campsites and ripping the fly off an occupied tent.
Alberta Parks officials say that people are safe for now, and the bear didn’t act aggressively or hurt anyone. But this incident has raised concerns about the campground and calls for changes to be made.
Spray Lakes West Campground is a popular place for locals in the Bow Valley. But it also sees a lot of bear activity, and there are often warnings about bears in the area.
In 2017, Kananaskis Country announced upgrades to the campground, including improving the washrooms, rearranging the campsites to help the wildlife move around better, and adding more signs and facilities.
The campground was built long ago, in the 1970s, so it could use a facelift. The campground also wants to ensure that there are sites for different types of camping, like tents and larger RVs.
The province wants to modernize the campground and facilities to manage the conflicts between humans and wildlife. The redesign would look at data about where the bears are going and plan the redevelopment accordingly.
Alberta has allocated $1.7 million for the refurbishment of Spray Lakes West Campground and to fix the roads in Spray Valley Provincial Park.
But, people are calling for the changes to happen sooner rather than later because of the recent bear incident. Some even want the campground to be closed because it’s an important path for wildlife movement.
John Marriott, a local advocate for wildlife and a photographer, suggests some steps to improve the campground. He thinks the campground should remove dandelions and buffalo berries, which attract bears, and make the campground smaller.
Additionally, better paths should be made for bears and other animals to move through, so they don’t have to go through the campground.
Marriott also recommends improving sight lines between the campsites, camp areas, and the reservoir’s shoreline.
“Right now, campers that leave their shoreside campsites to go down to the lake often lose sight of their trailer/tent/completely because of all the buffalo berries, trees and shrubs in the way,” Marriott told the Rocky Mountain Outlook.
In the meantime, to avoid any unexpected encounters with bears, Alberta Parks advises people to make noise and travel in groups, be aware of their surroundings, look and listen for signs of bears, keep dogs on a leash, and carry bear spray while knowing how to use it.
You may also want to pack an extra pair of pants, just in case!
Campers need to remember to properly store their food and garbage to avoid attracting bears and causing conflicts with wildlife.
