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Bears are back, so is Rossland/Trail WildSafeBC

The organization will deliver service this season mindful of pandemic precautions
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This yearling woke up too early from his winter slumber in Trail. In February, he was transferred from Trail to a sanctuary in Smithers called the Northern Lights Wildlife Society. Named Kenzo, the little bear is reported to be doing well. (Submitted photo)

There’s a new point of contact for wildlife education and community outreach this season in the cities of Rossland and Trail.

Oscar White has been hired as WildSafeBC Rossland/Trail Community Coordinator and is now active in the position.

While the COVID-19 pandemic may be keeping many people at home, he reminds locals that the same is not true for bears and other wildlife that live nearby.

As coordinator, White will be reaching out to community members in new and innovative ways that maintain physical distancing and safety for the community.

From April to November, he will be involved in a number of WildSafeBC modified program initiatives.

Those include door-to-door information delivery campaigns and garbage tagging. He’ll also be offering a virtual classroom for the highly requested WildSafe Ranger Program for school-aged children as well as Wildlife Awareness and Safety Education sessions.

White can be reached via email for more information on how to register for these free programs.

“We will continue to provide local wildlife activity news and tips as the season progresses on our local Facebook page,” he said.

“We look forward to hearing from you and with your help, we can reduce conflict with wildlife and keep our community safe.”

To contact White directly, email rossland@wildsafebc.com or call 250.512.7925.

WildSafeBC Rossland/Trail is financially supported by the cities of Rossland and Trail, Columbia Basin Trust, the British Columbia Conservation Foundation, and the BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy.

For more information on wildlife and how to reduce human-wildlife conflict visit www.wildsafebc.com, and follow WildSafeBC Rossland/Trail on Facebook.

WildSafeBC is the provincial leader in preventing conflict with wildlife through collaboration, education, and community solutions. The service is delivered by the conservation foundation in communities across the province.

Besides neighbourhood bears, residents can also report on urban cougar, coyote, and wolf sightings.

These reports are uploaded daily to the Wildlife Alert Reporting Program (WARP), available at wildsafebc.com/warp.

The WARP resource allows the public to see what wildlife has been reported in their neighbourhood and be alerted of new sightings.

Conflicts with wildlife should be reported to the Conservation Officer Service on the 24/7 RAPP line at 1.877.952.7277.

About the British Columbia Conservation Foundation:

The British Columbia Conservation Foundation (BCCF) is a not-for-profit organization. BCCF’s mission is to promote and assist in the conservation of the fish and wildlife resources of the Province of British Columbia through the protection, acquisition or enhancement of fish and wildlife habitat.



Sheri Regnier

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