Join our Facebook group: Friends of Jeanie

Keep up to date on the antics of Jeanie, a resident black bear in Whistler. Follow her story, as her life history unfolds. Great pics, videos and interesting stuff about bears. Participate in discussion groups about bear issues with other ursophiles. Tell us what you think about various management options.

If you're already a Facebook member: click here. Then click on "Join the Group" under the photo on the right hand side.

To sign up for Facebook: click here. Once you're a member join the Friends of Jeanie group, by clicking here. Then click on "Join the Group" under the photo on the right hand side.

Jeanie has been a resident of Whistler Mountain for about 20 years. She has become the icon for the resort, as local residents and school children follow her story. Being very tolerant of observers, she has also become the star of the bear viewing tours.

Jeanie's life story, as well as the story of other Whistler bears, and their strategies for survival, are very important in telling the story for future bear conservation.

Whistler has unique problems because of the unique relationships that exist between people and bears. Whistlerites are very tolerant of their ursine neighbours.

Jeanie and other bears have faced many changes over the years because their environment has changed dramatically as a result of increased development and recreational activities. Everything has been built gradually up around them. Jeanie has coped reasonably well. Now changes are picking up pace with more ATV's, Hummers, construction, and human disturbance. There are also less berries and more competition for berry patches in the ski area which is where Jeanie's home range is.

Jeanie appears to be struggling (with cubs) when food is not at its peak. In the past, she got used to having access to high quality concentrations of food in her home range. As those foods became less abundant, she began venturing into the main Village with her cubs in tow. This area has been designated as a No-Go Zone for bears - meaning that bears are actively deterred from the area with non-lethal management tools. Unfortunately, Jeanie often found access to garbage in the Village and so she returned more and more often.

The solution is simple: bear-proof the waste system and remove other bear foods like landscaped berry bushes. If there is no food available, bears will not continue to frequent the area. While the solution is perhaps simple, it is not that easy to implement.

We still have many issues to resolve in the community, but we are generating some unique data on adaptive behaviors in black bears. We are very hopeful that this research holds the answers or at least points us in the right direction to a better coexistence.

See Jeanie's Facebook group page for more discussion on this issue and others. Join the group and support the bears!