Port Edward claims the first bear sighting for the North Coast for 2018

Residents of the Hillcrest Avenue area of Port Edward have the first
Bear report for the Spring of 2018, with the District of Port Edward advising
its residents of the encounter in a recent newsletter 

The District of Port Edward appears to have claim to the first bear sighting for the Spring of 2018, with the District Newsletter for April making note of an encounter in the Hillcrest area.

The update for the community notes that the Conservation Office in Terrace has been appraised of the situation, with Port Edward offering some advice for residents to help in reducing the potential for further encounters with Bears as they begin to migrate out of their winter hibernation.

As we outlined on the blog late last month, the recent hiring surge by the Conservation Service has skipped over placement of an officer in the Prince Rupert/Port Edward region, making the Terrace office our main point of contact for assistance on the North Coast.

For those who may come across the awakening members of the Ursidae family, the BC Conservation Officer Service offers up these suggestions:

More on bear and other wildlife encounters can be reviewed here.

Should anyone in the community come across any bears, common sense suggests giving it a wide berth and contacting the RCMP locally if an emergency situation call 911, otherwise call 624-2136 for further guidance.

As well any resident that has an interaction with a bear should contact the BC Conservation Service at  1-877-952-7277

In a non-emergency situation, you can also make a report to the Conservation Officer Service by way of an online form.

The BC Conservation Officer Service also hosts a Facebook page related to its work across the province.

More notes related to Emergency Service Providers in the Northwest can be found here.