Funding Woes Plague Bear Project

Monday, July 26, 2010 04:02 AM

Prince George, B.C. - The Northern Bear Awareness Society's Urban Bear Research Project is in serious jeopardy due to a lack of funds, but there is a grant out there, if the NBA could just get some help accessing it.

As part of the project, biologist Lana Ciarniello has collared three bears in Prince George -- two in College Heights last year and one in the North Nechako area last week. She says the majority of the work is made possible by donations. The Ministry of Forests donated the $4-thousand dollar collar used last week, the Ministry of Environment donated the tranquilizing drugs, and BC Parks donated use of the traps.

"All these people realize the value of the project, they just don't have any money, so they're doing everything they can to try and help me out." The project's goal is to determine which areas of the city are critical in terms of creating problem bears -- areas where bears get sucked into the city by berry bushes, but become 'hooked' on attractants like garbage, fruit trees, and bird feeders --and to use that information to prioritize and manage our greenspaces and plan development better.

In the project's two years, Ciarniello has not drawn a wage. She has used $1-thousand dollars from a $5-thousand dollar grant to cover some of her vehicle expenses, as she tracks down the bears to check on their condition. But Ciarniello says she'll pull the collars this fall unless more funding is forthcoming...

And that's the rub, the biologist says a board member with the Vancouver Foundation has said the NBA Society would have a good chance of receiving a grant, but the application must come from a charity. Ciarniello says she's approached almost every charity in the city with a mandate similar to the NBA's, and has even offered to pay a 10-percent administrative fee, but can't find one willing to put the grant application through for the society.

The deadline was Friday, but the Vancouver Foundation has granted NBA a one-week extension in hopes a charity can be found. Ciarniello is hopeful anyone who might be able to help will contact Northern Bear Awareness at 250-301-7575.

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