durhamregion.com | This Week | Thursday, June 30, 2022 | | 20 A black bear was spotted at a conservation area in north Clarington earlier this month and there have been several sightings in north Durham, one on June 12 causing a shelter-in-place advisory at Beaverton Public School and a second on June 22 advising Beaverton residents to be on guard. The Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority (CLOCA) on June 2 tweeted that a bear had been seen in the Long Sault Conservation Area, which is near Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. While urging people to be cautious, CLOCA noted the area is safe. Jackie Smith, a wildlife biologist with CLOCA, said the area is "absolutely" safe for people to visit. "Bear encounters at Long Sault are extremely rare and most of our reports are because someone saw scat or a footprint, not because a bear has been encountered. In fact, I've never heard of anyone actually seeing a bear at any of our Conservation Areas since I started in 2005," she said. The authority has posted signs at Long Sault and on social media to tell people a bear has been seen. The sign noted that if someone were to encounter a bear, they should slowly back away while keeping the bear in sight and wait for it to leave. If the bear does not leave, throw objects, wave your arms and make noise to frighten the bear. If you have it, prepare to use bear spray. Anyone near a building or vehicle should get inside as a precaution. People carrying food should drop it and slowly move away. If a bear is in a tree, leave it alone. Leave the area. The bear will come down when it feels safe. What people shouldn't do is run, climb a tree, swim, kneel down, make direct eye contact, approach the bear to get a better look or attempt to feed a bear. Smith said, "Black bears are largely afraid of people, and usually disappear when they hear people approaching. Making noise when walking, such as talking or wearing a bear bell, are probably the most proactive actions people can take to avoid encounters. "In the rare instance that someone does meet a bear, it's important to stop and back away slowly, particularly if the bear has cubs," Smith said. "Pets off leash have the potential to escalate encounters with wildlife, not just bears, and is one of the reasons why we require people to keep their pets leashed when visiting our conservation areas. Visitors can also help reduce negative wildlife encounters by not approaching animals to take photos, and by not feeding wild animals, as this habituates them to people and encourages them to approach us," Smith added. Long Sault is one part of a larger wildlife habitat area stretching east across the Oak Ridges Moraine, and Long Sault likely forms part of the range of one or more bears in the area, she added. "Bears move around according to food resources, so bears may be attracted to Long Sault at certain times of year by wild raspberry patches or fruit/nut bearing trees. They may also be attracted by unsecured garbage, farm crops, or bird feeders, so the actions of local residents plays a role in where bears roam and how they behave too," she said. Bears stay away from people and don't get seen very often in agricultural or natural areas, she noted. "It is important to be situationally aware when visiting any conservation area or natural area. All animals are wild and can be aggressive if cornered or threatened, and there are lots of plants that should be avoided as well, so we ask that visitors always stay on trails, keep pets on leashes, and let wildlife be wild by not harassing them or feeding them. These are the best ways to stay safe at Long Sault or at any of our CAs. And, if people do see signs of bears at any of our conservation areas, we'd love to hear about it. They can send me photos or an email at jscott@cloca.com. For more information, visit www.cloca.com. BEAR SIGHTINGS IN NORTH DURHAM, NORTH CLARINGTON NEWS 'BEAR ENCOUNTERS ARE EXTREMELY RARE' A bear has been spotted in the Long Sault Conservation Area in north Clarington. This bruin was seen in Uxbridge in 2018. Despite the sighting, the public can still go to the area as encounters with bears are extremely rare. Ehtan Goldsmith photo