This is the time that bears are beefing up their fat content, getting ready to settle in for a winter's nap.
And that means they're on the prowl for calories. That can come from a number of urban sources, including bird feeders left out all day and night, garbage cans put out the night before, fruits and vegetables that never got harvested and even Fido's back door food dish.
Charlene Harrison-Hinds, a volunteer with the Hope Mountain Black Bear Committee, said avoiding those common mistakes can reduce bear to human interactions, and therefore decrease the instances of bears being trapped and relocated, or destroyed.
The committee goes door to door in Hope, educating people about bears, printing education materials, and putting door hangers on houses that put their trash out the night before.
Bears have to eat a whopping 20,000 calories a day to be properly prepared for the winter, she said, so eating becomes their priority in the fall.
"If they have to choose between getting those calories from dandelions leaves or your garbage, well..." she said.
The committee is made up of about 15 volunteers, and they are fundraising to help pay for costs, including printing materials.
On Oct. 25, they're hosting a magic show at Hope Secondary School featuring well-known magician John Kaplan.
The show will run from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and tickets are $8 for students and $10 for adults when bought in advance.
And each Saturday before the show, the committee will be at Envision in Hope selling special $1 raffle tickets for a 'locked coffin' prize. The coffin is filling up with donations from local businesses, which one lucky winner will get to open.
For more information, visit their booth at Envision this Saturday, or phone 604-604-860-4558.
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