This B.C. conservationist is celebrating a big drop in bears killed in her Kootenay community

David P. Ball · CBC News

· Posted: Dec 28, 2023 11:12 AM EST | Last Updated: December 28

Katie Graves had planned to retire when she moved to Nelson, B.C., from California about five years ago.

Instead, the former law firm investigator found herself consumed by a new mission: to save black bears.

Last year, conservation officers killed 17 black bears in the community of roughly 11,000 people in B.C.’s West Kootenay region, about 190 kilometres west of the border with Alberta.

That led her to co-found The Ursa Project Society to educate locals about how simple steps could keep the large mammals alive.

In the first 10 months of this year, authorities killed 661 black bears across B.C., the highest number in at least a decade for the same period — and 18 per cent above average.

The B.C. Conservation Officer Service told CBC News its officers are forced to kill “once a bear finds easily obtainable non-natural food sources,” and that habitat loss and food scarcity related to climate change are likely why more bears are entering B.C. communities.

“We applaud the hard work of communities that take steps to prevent wildlife conflicts which can lead to bears being put down to ensure public safety,” a spokesperson said in an email.

“We continue to urge everyone to help keep wildlife wild by securing food and other attractants.”

WATCH | Ursa Project founder hopes to inspire others to keep bears from being killed:

Katie Graves, co-founder of the Ursa Project in Nelson, B.C., says her non-profit’s education efforts likely helped drop the number of bears killed within city limits to zero this year, and hopes it inspires other B.C. communities that saw skyrocketing incidents during a year of drought.

But after a year of The Ursa Project’s event tabling, door-knocking, and social media campaigning, Nelson’s number fell to zero bears killed — despite deaths skyrocketing in other municipalities, such as in Prince George, B.C.

In an interview with CBC News, Graves explained why she’s proud of her community, and how she hopes others are inspired to help where they live.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Can you tell me about the organization you co-founded, The Ursa Project?

We started it last fall after [the B.C. Conservation Officer Service] killed 17 bears in Nelson [in 2022]. We said, ‘Somebody should do something about this — who would that be?’ 

So we decided to do something and started The Ursa Project.

Our goal is to reduce the amount of bears that are killed in our city limits. 

It’s not usually a bear problem, it’s usually a people problem.

Tell me about why you care about bears so much. How long have you been a bear aficionado?

It’s pretty new for me, actually. I lived most of my life in California and moved to the West Kootenays a little over five years ago. 

I know black bears — there’s a lot of them. But I just think that they’re really sentient, incredible creatures with societal structures. Mothers love their children, they make friends, they play.

They’re just like people; they’re just very furry.

What are you trying to get people to do there?

It is simple steps. Its major part is garbage … so trying to get people to not put their garbage out before pickup time.

We would like our city to have weekly pickup during bear season, but that hasn’t come yet, and we would like bear-resistant bins for every resident.

Bird feeders, compost, fruit trees were a huge issue this fall. So we are going to be working with farmers outside of town, getting them half-bad fruit so they can feed their pigs … And we get the good fruit to the food bank.

We go door to door and talk to people about, ‘What are your challenges? Do you need help trying to figure out where you can put your garbage? Or how to manage your compost?’

And so we just talk with every resident that we reach, and we do farmers’ markets … [to] just try to get people to understand that it’s some simple steps you can take and it will save a life.

WATCH | Nelson, B.C., non-profit helping to save bears:

Things are looking up for black bears in Nelson, B.C. Last year, the West Kootenay city was listed as one of the deadliest communities in the province for black bears. But as Corey Bullock reports, the Ursa Project is working to reverse those numbers.

What results have you seen there?

Nelson, it’s a magical place. But we all have to help each other learn. So that’s our goal. Last year they killed 17 bears in town; we are so delighted to say that not one single bear has been killed in our city limits this year. 

So that’s 17 lives. I’ve been very proud of our community.

How does that make you feel, going from 17 to zero?

Ecstatic. It’s to feel like you can make a difference in this world.

You know, we often think, ‘My vote doesn’t really count’ … or ‘Does recycling really count?’ 

Compared to what happened in the rest of the province this year — it has been wild, the wildfires, climate change, all this stuff happening — what happened in Nelson was really unique.

I just want to give people a glimmer of hope, and let people know that your actions mean something — and could save lives.