Success Stories

Many communities in Canada, the U.S., and beyond have improved the way they coexist with bears. Believing that success breeds success, and that we can learn from what others have done right, we are highlighting these stories.

In the examples below, we define success as people taking effective action to reduce and prevent human-bear conflicts. Community-wide efforts take time, and markers of success are ever evolving. For some communities, success means they are certified “Bear Smart” or recognized by an agency for their efforts; for others, it is seeing human-bear conflicts drop; or, for some, it is having implemented a program to clean up one attractant. Whatever the markers, their work can provide insight into how to reduce human-bear conflicts in other locations.

If you know of a community that should be on this list, please contact us.

Canada

Communities in British Columbia have the opportunity to participate in the province’s Bear Smart Community Program, designed by the Ministry of Environment, to receive official recognition as being “Bear Smart.” Learn more about the program and some of these B.C. communities below.

Castlegar, B.C.

Castlegar was designated Bear Smart in 2021. This community used to be at the top of the provincial list for most human-bear conflicts and number of bears killed as a result. By getting attractants like residential garbage cleaned up, conflicts went down. This 2016 report from WildSafeBC gives insight into Castlegar’s process of becoming Bear Smart, from challenges with household garbage to unpicked residential fruit, as well as highlighting the community’s goals to continue reducing human-bear conflicts in the coming year.

Kamloops, B.C.

In November of 2009, Kamloops, B.C. became the province's first official Bear Smart community. Among the efforts to reduce bear-human conflicts are education programs targeted at residents to ensure they don't let fruit litter their yard and keep garbage inside, a city bylaw restricting curbside garbage to the same morning as pickup, and strategic land use planning to lessen interaction. For more information, click here.

Lions Bay, B.C.

Lions Bay officially became Bear Smart in 2010 as a result of a grassroots initiative by volunteers. Concerned about black bears being killed due to an ongoing food attractant problem, residents created a Bear Smart committee with support of the Council, Administration, and Conservation Officers Service. The committee creates educational programs for schools and residents, as well as assists the Council with waste management options and bylaw issues. Learn more about their efforts here and check out the community’s human-bear conflict management plan.

Naramata, B.C.

The village of Naramata is located on the east side of Lake Okanagan. Due to high bear control actions, the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen implemented the Bear Smart program in 2010. This was followed up with curbside garbage bylaws requiring garbage to be stored securely and placed at the curb on the morning of pick-up. The district’s Bear Aware Community Coordinator, together with an engaged community and the Conservation Officer Service, reduced the number of bears killed from six to seven a year to almost zero by 2012. In June of 2014, Naramata achieved Bear Smart community status. You can find their human-bear conflict management plan here and learn more about their ongoing efforts here.

Port Alberni, B.C.

The city of Port Alberni was the fifth community in B.C. to be officially designated a Bear Smart community. The success is the result of outstanding leadership on behalf of the local government, the Alberni Clayoquot Regional District, the Conservation Officer Service, the Alberni Valley Bear Smart Committee, Bear Smart B.C., local residents, and other stakeholders. Learn more about their Bear Smart designation, including their solid waste management bylaw (11.1 (r) and 11.2) and bear hazard assessment report here.

Squamish, B.C.

The District of Squamish received Bear Smart accreditation in 2010–the second community to receive it from the Ministry of Environment. This certification was a result of 6 years of building partnerships and relationships with numerous community stakeholders. Squamish remains committed to continue preventing human-bear conflicts and run programs like a food “swap and share” to connect residents so they can share their garden harvests and get help harvesting. Learn more here.

Whistler, B.C.

Whistler, B.C. is a world-class tourism destination north of Vancouver and has done a tremendous amount of work to coexist with the black bears with which it shares the Whistler Valley. Whistler was designated Bear Smart in 2011 by B.C.’s Ministry of Environment.

The Get Bear Smart Society played a major role in this achievement, working with community stakeholders in public education campaigns, conducting extensive outreach campaigns, writing columns in community newspapers, and designing and installing interpretive signage. The program is now coordinated by the Resort Municipality of Whistler, in collaboration with a number of other groups.

Additional B.C. Communities

Other communities that have officially been recognized as Bear Smart by the B.C. Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy include Coquitlam, New Denver, Port Hardy, Port Moody, and Tofino. View the full list of communities here.

Canmore, Alberta and the Bow Valley

Canmore, Alberta is located in the Bow Valley on the eastern edge of Banff National Park. Concerned for the safety of its residents and the local bears, it decided to switch to a bear-resistant solid waste management system that has all but eliminated human-bear conflicts in town. The switch involved replacing residential curbside waste collection with communal waste containers. Read about Canmore's efforts at Bow Valley WildSmart and take a look at their bear hazard assessment.

Crowsnest Pass, Alberta

In 2015, the Crowsnest Pass Bear Smart program was selected as a finalist for Alberta’s Emerald Awards—a showcase recognizing environmental excellence in the province. The community has created bylaws around garbage and wildlife attractants, works to organize volunteers to remove fruit from trees when bears are nearby (and remove fruit trees altogether), and engages in a number of education efforts. They’ve also shared a number of lessons learned on the importance of including the community, volunteers, and even the bears in having a successful Bear Smart program.

Mountain View, Alberta

Following the deaths of two hunters by grizzly bears in 2007 and 2008, residents in Mountain View County came together to establish committees to produce a bear hazard assessment, develop strategies on bear safety education, and develop systems to notify residents of bear sightings. Mountain View hosts an annual bear awareness week each spring, has erected signs around the county to notify people they are in bear country, hosted numerous bear safety presentations, and promotes the use of bear-resistant garbage cans. Find out more about their ongoing efforts on the Mountain View Bear Smart website.

Elliot Lake, Ontario

The City of Elliot Lake changed its garbage bylaws, forbidding home and business owners to put out garbage the night before collection and requiring that at other times it be stored in sheds, garages, or closed dumpsters. Elliot Lake was the first community in Ontario with such legislation. Prevention, education, and awareness formed the foundation of a similar province-wide program, called Bear Wise. The Bear Wise initiative that the Friends of Algoma East administered in Elliot Lake was very successful. The year before public education and bear-resistant containers were implemented, there were 500 human-bear conflicts and three bears killed. The year after implementation, conflicts dropped to 87 with no bears killed.

United States

Virginia City, Montana

The historic mining town of Virginia City had a problem of black bears coming into yards, damaging local business’ properties, and even wandering down Main Street. The town also sits in a potential travel corridor for grizzlies. Virginia City worked with the nonprofit People and Carnivores to replace sidewalk trash cans with bear-resistant ones, add a hydraulic lid system for dumpsters at the transfer station, and get bear-resistant containers to residents. After seeing a significant reduction in conflicts, the town began setting aside some of its tourism-based income for Bear Smart efforts, conducted a conflict assessment, and formed a management plan, which is carried out by their Bear Smart Community Committee. In 2024, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (the state wildlife management agency) recognized Virginia City a Bear Smart community. Virginia City’s efforts have inspired many others in the Northern Rockies.

Missoula, Montana

Missoula adopted a “bear buffer zone,” requiring people within that zone to keep bears out of garbage. In 2023, the city and county re-established the boundaries of the zone to focus on the highest conflict areas near the city–places where black bears and people share the landscape, and grizzlies are moving in–and do a phased approach of expanding the zone. The same buffer zone tactic was also adopted elsewhere in the county in the town of Potomac. More information about the buffer zone and associated rules can be found here. To aid in reducing conflicts through education and community engagement, a number of community stakeholders, including government agencies and nonprofits, created missoulabears.org—a website with a wealth of information on bear activity in the area and information on securing attractants.

Jackson and Teton County, Wyoming

Jackson, Wyoming sits just outside of Grand Teton National Park—the home of famous Grizzly 399, who was killed by a vehicle in 2024. A foray with her cubs into town years prior, along with other bears coming into town and getting into garbage, inspired policy change. The town implemented a “bear conflict zone,” which requires residents within the zone to use bear-resistant garbage cans. Outside of the town of Jackson, the whole of Teton County, Wyoming now requires the use of bear-resistant garbage cans or enclosures. The nonprofit Jackson Hole Bear Solutions is helping distribute bear-resistant cans to residents and providing education, along with groups like Bear Wise Jackson Hole.

Durango, Colorado

Durango is located in southwest Colorado, in La Plata County, and is home to many black bears. The city has taken a number of steps to reduce human-bear conflicts over the years, including adding bylaws that require the use of bear-resistant trash cans. In 2023, the county added a designated bear resource officer to respond to calls about bears and enforce local laws about locking up attractants. While the community still sees human-bear conflicts, progress continues, led by the local bear working group, which includes Bear Smart Durango. Take a look at this timeline highlighting Bear Smart efforts in Durango starting in 2002.

Additional Colorado Communities

A number communities in Colorado are working to reduce conflicts with black bears. Learn more about efforts in Boulder and Colorado Springs, and find even more communities working to reduce human-bear conflicts through the Colorado Bear Coalition.

Wintergreen, VA

Wintergreen Resort, a resi¬dential and vacation community nestled against the Blue Ridge Parkway in Nelson County, Virginia, is a place where it is sometimes hard to tell where the for¬est ends and the human development begins, es¬pecially if you are a bear. Prompted by a series of break-ins by bears to resort homes in 2007 and the removal or euthanasia of nine bears over two years, Wintergreen residents decided to take action to make theirs a com¬munity where both people and bears could coexist. Read more about Wintergreen's Bear Smart efforts here.

Methow Valley, Washington

Methow Valley, located near the North Cascades Ecosystem, is used to black bears, but they’re also preparing for the return of grizzlies who may naturally migrate into the area or be reintroduced through the Endangered Species Act. The community conducted a bear hazard assessment and found that garbage, along with livestock and beehives, were the main attractants in the valley, and they are now working to get things secured using bear-resistant containers and electric fencing. Being near North Cascade National Park, the community is also working to educate visitors and recreationists on proper food storage. Learn more on the Methow Bear Coalition website.

Highlands, North Carolina

Highlands became the first “Bear Wise” community in the U.S.—an achievement that requires communities to consult with local authorities on human-black bear conflicts, organize community members, and implement strategies to reduce human-bear conflicts. Highlands met those criteria, creating an ordinance to require securing attractants and use of bear-resistant containers. Find the ordinances and an interactive map to inform residents on bear activity around town here.

Additional North Carolina Communities

Learn about other communities that have been recognized as Bear Wise by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission here.

Wingfield North Subdivision, Florida

Wingfield North is a neighborhood in Longwood, Florida. After a resident was severely injured by a bear in 2013, the community worked with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to address human-bear conflicts, taking immediate steps to draft, implement, and enforce HOA rules requiring residents to secure garbage and other attractants from bears and other wildlife. Bear-resistant containers for residents are funded by the HOA. With the new rules in place, bears still travel through the neighborhood, but no longer linger in the area. The subdivision, along with nearby Wingfield Reserve, was recognized by FWC as Bear Wise in 2021.

Additional Florida Communities

There are a number of Bear Wise HOAs, subdivisions, and other communities in Florida. Find out about more of them here.

Europe

Italy and Greece

The LIFE Bear Smart Corridors program, based on the British Columbian program, aims to grow brown bear populations in Central Italy and Greece by forming “coexistence corridors.” The program involves working with local communities provide education on living with bears and reducing attractants like fruit trees, improves habitat by preserving natural foods away from towns, and provides communities with infrastructure including bear-resistant garbage cans and electric fencing. Learn more about the effort here.