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Bears are pretty cool, right? They look all cuddly, star in Disney’s Jungle Book, and they’re one of BC’s most feared predators. We’re going to guess that you want to stay on the “good-side” of bears. Here’s how: Help protect their FAVOURITE food source, salmon.

The British Columbia salmon migrations are an incredible event. Every year thousands of salmon take the treacherous journey from the ocean to the river they were born to spawn their eggs. And every four years, millions of sockeye salmon make this trek. This is called a dominant year, the next one is expected in 2022. What we do this year can make a big difference in helping the salmon have a successful run and keep those bear bellies full.

Although salmon have been making this journey on their own for as long as…well, as long salmon have been salmon living on the west coast, humans have been taking actions that are messing up their routes. Things like deforestation around river beds, pollution from plants and landfills, and littering are all interrupting their migration routes. We can all make sure we are taking actions that help the salmons get to their spawning grounds.

There are two big ways that you can help protect the salmon and keep the bears happy.

Recycle.

You can recycle your old appliances, paper materials, building supplies, and, of course, your empty containers. Regional Recycling has made recycling your empties easier than ever with new services like DepoZip and FastDrop.

Depozip lets you recycle without leaving your house. No chance of running into a hungry bear! Just schedule a pick-up time for your empties in the Free and easy to use web app. DepoZip will pick up your empties and send your return via e-transfer. Follow this link to get all the details.

FastDrop is a new in-depot service. Drop off your empties, unsorted, and we’ll sort them for you and send the return to your account or you can pick up the cash next time you’re in the depot. We are happy to report Zero bear sightings at our depots, so this should be a safe option as well.

Reusing and recycling as many household materials as possible is a great way to cut down our consumption of natural resource and can help stave off the effects of deforestation. Follow this link to see all the types of household items that can be recycled!

Vote.

By taking the time to learn about each party’s environmental platform is, you can make a vote that protects our future, and the salmon’s, and the bears, basically everyone. While we can’t tell you who to vote for we encourage that you get out and vote and add your voice to this election. If you’d like to see the salmon in action you can visit a local river to experience it for yourself. Just keep an eye out for bears, they’ll likely be hanging out looking for their next meal. But, if you’re doing everything you can to help protect the salmon you probably don’t have too much to worry about and the bears will know you’re one of the good ones.

Rivers to see the salmon migrations:

• Adams River at Shuswap Lake
• The Fraser River
• Garry Point Park in Richmond
• Ladner Harbor Park in Delta
• Westminster Quay of New Westminster
• Island 22 Regional Park in Chilliwack
• Capilano River Hatchery in North Vancouver

Thanks for taking the time to learn about salmon and their migration patterns with us. Reach out to any of our locations to learn more about what to recycle and where. Thanks for being a part of protecting the beautiful nature and wildlife of BC!