Atmospheric River & Bear Sighting

  Inside this New West Spotlight Newsletter…

 🌦️ New West Weather - Rain with sunny breaks

🗓️ New West Events - Variety Today!

🕵️‍♂️ New West Local News - Atmospheric River & Bear Sighting

October 16, 2024

 👩‍👩‍👧 Meet & Greet For Families with Neurodiverse Children - 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

 🗣️ EduGlobal College Group English Lesson Meetup - 10:0 AM

October 17, 2024

 🍺 QPPS Pub Night @ River's Reach - 10:30 AM - 11:15 AM

 🌳 New West Parks & Rec Bi-Annual Tree Sale - 10:00 AM

 ☕️Will You Be My Neighbor - Community Cafe - 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM

October 18, 2024

 📖 Tigrinya StoryTime Drop-In Public Library - 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM

 👯 Friday Night Fever 50+- Century House - 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM (register now)

 👻 Ghostly New West Tour - 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM

 🌧️ New West along with Metro Vancouver Faces Soggy Weekend as Major Atmospheric River Rolls In

Metro Vancouver is bracing for heavy rain from an atmospheric river set to begin Friday, lasting up to 36 hours. While not predicted to be as severe as the November 2021 floods, the storm could still bring significant rainfall, especially after a relatively dry period. Strong winds may also cause damage. The storm is expected to taper off by Saturday evening as it moves south. Forecasters are monitoring the situation closely.

Read the full details here.

 🐻 Hume Park Bear Sighting Sparks Reminder to Stay Bear Smart and Safe

A bear has been sighted in the Hume Park area of New Westminster, prompting local authorities to remind residents to be "bear smart" and take precautions to avoid conflicts. While bear sightings are rare in most parts of New Westminster, they occasionally occur near the Brunette River, where bears can wander into urban areas.

Every year, hundreds of bears are destroyed due to preventable conflicts with humans, often caused by bears accessing non-natural food sources like garbage. Although bear attacks on humans are rare, these conflicts can lead to serious injury or death.

The Bear Smart Community Program, developed by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, encourages communities to work together to minimize human-bear conflicts. The goal is to prevent problems before they start, keeping both people and bears safe. This voluntary program relies on participation from residents, businesses, and local governments to be successful.

In light of the recent sighting, locals are urged to manage waste properly and avoid leaving out anything that could attract wildlife. If a bear is seen behaving aggressively, it should be reported to the BC Conservation Officer Service immediately.

The program focuses on reducing the risks to human safety and private property while also cutting down on the number of bears that need to be euthanized each year. By following bear-smart practices, the community can help ensure that bears remain in the wild where they belong.

For more information on how to prevent bear conflicts, resources like the "Bear Smart" community brochure and technical background reports are available. Residents can also learn to identify different bear species, such as black bears and grizzlies, with the "Know Your Bears" guide.

Click HERE for conservation contact information.

Would you like us to spotlight your local business in front of thousands of New West residents in an upcoming issue of New West Spotlight? Not a business owner, but love a local business? Tell us all about it - send an email to [email protected]