Share knowledge
Offer clear, useful education on bear safety, behaviour and attractant management for people across Squamish.
Squamish, British Columbia
A better future for bears begins here.
The Squamish Bear Alliance is being built to educate our community, prevent conflict, strengthen local action and advocate for the bears who share this landscape with us.
Photo by Niall Bell
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EducationFor residents, visitors, schools and businesses
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PreventionAddress attractants before conflict occurs
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CommunityBuild a local network of informed volunteers
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AdvocacySupport evidence-based bear management
Why SBA
We live in bear country. Coexistence takes all of us.
Squamish needs a strong, sustainable organization focused on preventing human–bear conflict while building understanding, responsibility and respect across the community.
The Squamish Bear Alliance is a citizen-led, grassroots non-profit, formed by local residents who share a simple goal: keep bears wild, and keep our community safe. As the alliance prepares to establish itself formally, its direction draws on guidance from Bear Aware programs across BC and the example of the North Shore Black Bear Society, while responding to Squamish’s distinct needs.
Our work will rest on three things. Real data, gathered through a citizen-mapped database of attractant hotspots across the community. Proactive attractant monitoring, so problems are spotted before a bear finds them. And community education that helps every resident play a part. We will do this work alongside the District of Squamish, the BC Conservation Officer Service and wildlife biologists — sharing what we learn and building the relationships coexistence depends on.
“This cannot rest on the shoulders of one person or one organization.”
The bears of Squamish
Neighbours worth knowing.
Black bears move through our meadows, forests and neighbourhoods in every season. The better we understand them, the easier coexistence becomes.
Photos by Niall Bell and Tim Cyr
Our approach
Practical action. Local relationships. Lasting change.
The alliance’s work will connect everyday prevention with education, community participation and thoughtful advocacy.
Prevent conflict
Reduce access to garbage and other human food sources before they draw bears into dangerous situations.
Mobilize neighbours
Create a grassroots volunteer network that can reach neighbourhoods, events, schools and local businesses.
Advocate together
Encourage transparency, evidence-based decisions and policies that improve outcomes for bears and people.
Our action plan
What the alliance will do.
A practical program of volunteer work across Squamish — gathering data, monitoring attractants and helping neighbours live safely alongside bears.
Door-to-door education
Volunteer neighbourhood visits on securing attractants, seasonal bear behaviour — including fall hyperphagia, when bears feed almost around the clock — and what the District’s Wildlife Attractant Bylaw asks of residents.
Waste bin auditing
Neighbourhood teams check residential and commercial waste totes, tag containers that are unlocked or overflowing, and report broken latches to GFL and property owners so repairs happen quickly.
Educational booths
Interactive displays at community markets, festivals and events, where residents and visitors can ask questions and pick up practical habits for living with bears.
Responsible pet ownership
Trail-user education on leashing dogs — one of the simplest ways to prevent the surprise encounters that put bears, dogs and people at risk.
Community fruit gleaning network
Volunteers pick ripe backyard fruit before it falls, so yards don’t become bear attractants. It’s the same lesson as the fruit-tree photos above: fruit left unpicked is an open invitation to a hungry bear.
See the bears of SquamishInter-agency collaboration
Working with the BC Conservation Officer Service and District bylaw officers — reporting chronic attractant issues and supporting field monitoring with local knowledge.
Hotspot reporting
Residents can now report bear sightings and attractant problems — illegal dumping, unsecured dumpsters and high-risk conflict areas — through the alliance’s report form. Every report feeds our citizen-mapped hotspot database, building the shared picture that guides our work.
Report a sightingFundraising for tools
Raising funds for wildlife alert signage at neighbourhood boundaries and electric mats (e-mats) for high-risk spots such as chicken coops and waste enclosures.
Moving forward
A roadmap for bear stewardship in Squamish.
These initiatives are proposed for development as the alliance is established and community capacity grows.
Coming up
January 2027
A formal delegation to Mayor and Council
The alliance will present a formal delegation to Squamish Mayor and Council — sharing its first community data maps and proposing a structured way to align its volunteer work with municipal operations.
Neighbourhood education
Door-to-door conversations, educational booths and practical guidance for residents, tourists and businesses.
Garbage patrol
A volunteer-led effort to identify attractant issues, encourage compliance and support better waste practices.
Fruit gleaning
Coordinate the removal and use of ripe fruit so backyard trees are less likely to draw bears into neighbourhoods.
Bear-Safe Business
Work with the Chamber of Commerce and business associations on responsible, bear-aware operations.
Community workshops
Bring learning opportunities to Squamish, including safe and effective bear spray workshops.
Off-leash ambassadors
Support responsible recreation and conversations about dogs, trails and wildlife encounters.
Conflict hotspot reporting
Build a reporting system that can help identify patterns and inform monthly community updates.
Funding practical prevention
As a not-for-profit alliance, explore grants and other funding to expand bear signage—especially along the highway—and support community workshops.
Photo by Tim Cyr
Prevention first
Break the cycle before a cub is left behind.
Orphaned cubs deserve advocacy. But lasting change also means addressing an underlying cause: bears gaining access to human garbage and other attractants.
When mother bears become accustomed to human food, they can be placed in situations that end in their deaths. Prevention protects adult bears, helps keep cubs with their mothers and makes neighbourhoods safer.
SBA is not a wildlife rescue centre.Its focus is education, prevention, community engagement and advocacy.
Learn about BC black bears
Knowledge helps keep bears wild.
These trusted BC resources cover black bear behaviour, attractant management, encounters and outdoor safety. Open a guide to learn more or share it with a neighbour.
For local awareness, explore WildSafeBC’s Wildlife Alert Reporting Program map.
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Black bears in British Columbia
Learn how to identify black bears, understand their seasonal behaviour and respond safely during an encounter.
WildSafeBCBlack bear facts and attractant guide
A printable overview of bear biology, safety and practical ways to secure garbage, fruit, compost and other food sources.
WildSafeBC · PDFBear spray: what to know
Guidance on choosing, carrying, practising with and responsibly disposing of bear spray in Canada.
WildSafeBCHow to stay safe in bear country
A detailed BC Parks booklet on bear behaviour, prevention and safety while hiking, camping, fishing and travelling.
BC Parks · PDFSquamish black bear guide
A concise local handout on bear safety, food attractants and reducing human–bear conflict in the community.
District of Squamish · PDFA collaborative path forward
A shared table for safer outcomes.
SBA wants to build durable, respectful working relationships with the District of Squamish, Conservation Officers and wildlife biologists.
Our role is to bring community knowledge to the table, listen to professional expertise and help turn shared evidence into practical prevention. Open communication can strengthen trust, clarify how each partner can contribute and keep the focus on what we all want: fewer conflicts, safer neighbourhoods and more bears staying wild.
- 01Listen first and recognize the knowledge each partner brings.
- 02Share information clearly so the community understands the work underway.
- 03Explore prevention ideas together and learn from local experience.
- 04Keep communication open as conditions, evidence and community needs evolve.
Common ground
Coexistence works best as a shared effort.
Residents, District staff and Council, Conservation Officers, wildlife biologists, waste service partners and community organizations all see different parts of the human–bear conflict picture. SBA hopes to help connect those perspectives.
Through regular dialogue and transparent information-sharing, we can better understand local patterns, support effective attractant management and identify constructive ways for residents to contribute.
WildSafeBC
WildSafeBC is the provincial program delivered by the British Columbia Conservation Foundation, and we’re glad to count it among our collaborators. WildSafeBC works across the regional district around Squamish — in places like Britannia Beach and other areas outside the District of Squamish — while the Squamish Bear Alliance fills the gap inside the District itself, so the two efforts complement each other across the valley.
WildSafeBC also runs training courses for people who live, work and play in bear country, including the free Bear Safety When Recreating course and the Wildlife Awareness and Safety Level 1 course — good preparation for our volunteers and for anyone heading out on the trails.
See WildSafeBC courses and trainingWorking relationships
Progress depends on cooperation.
Preventing human–bear conflict requires honest dialogue, shared evidence and productive relationships—even where trust needs to be rebuilt.
SBA intends to work constructively with District staff and Council, Conservation Officers, wildlife biologists and local partners while advocating for transparency, prevention and better outcomes for bears and people.
District of SquamishBylawConservation OfficersWildlife biologistsRCMPGFLWaste ManagementLocal businesses
Report a sighting
Seen a bear? Start with the right call.
Who you contact depends on what you’re seeing. If a bear is in conflict or someone could be hurt, that’s a call to the Conservation Officer Service. If it’s an attractant problem, that’s the District. And every sighting — big or small — is worth sharing with the alliance.
Conflict or danger
A bear in conflict, or inside a home or building
If a bear is acting aggressively, has gotten into a home, garage or other building, or is an immediate safety concern, call the BC Conservation Officer Service Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) line — answered 24 hours a day.
1-877-952-7277If anyone is in immediate danger, call 911.
Attractant problems
Unsecured garbage and other attractants
Garbage set out early, overflowing or broken bins, and other unsecured attractants are handled under the District of Squamish’s Wildlife Attractant Bylaw. Report them to the District’s bylaw team so they can follow up.
604-815-6866Or email wildlife@squamish.ca
Reporting a bear does not mean the bear will be harmed. Most reports lead to monitoring, education and attractant cleanup — and reporting early, before a bear learns to rely on human food, gives Conservation Officers and our volunteers the chance to act proactively and keep both people and bears safe.
Tell us what you saw
Every sighting helps map the hotspots.
Sighting reports to the alliance feed our citizen-mapped database of attractant hotspots across Squamish. That shared picture tells us where to place “Bear in Area” signs, which neighbourhoods to visit next with door-to-door education and canvassing, and where to send the fruit gleaning crew before ripe fruit draws a bear in.
Saw a bear passing through, getting into a bin, or feeding on unpicked fruit? Tell us where and when — and add a photo if you have one.
Our sighting report form is hosted by Jotform — it opens in a new tab.
Report a sightingBe part of the beginning
Help build a community that protects its bears.
As the alliance takes shape, there are hands-on ways to be part of it. Join a neighbourhood education blitz, help pick fruit with the gleaning crew, or staff an educational booth at a market or festival. Follow the project on Facebook and raise your hand — there’s a role for every schedule and skill set.
Neighbourhood education blitzesFruit gleaning crewEvent boothsBin auditing teamsBoard development
Volunteer
Volunteer with the alliance.
The Squamish Bear Alliance offers rewarding volunteer opportunities across a variety of activities.
Our volunteers help educate Squamish residents and visitors on best practices for living and exploring in bear habitat — at doorsteps, market booths, on trails and in neighbourhoods across the community. Fill out the application form below and we’ll be in touch about upcoming opportunities.
indicates a required field.
Our volunteer application is a short form hosted by Jotform — it opens in a new tab.
Apply to volunteer