🌄 How Lydia Koot rescues black bears

Tuesday, June 21, 2022 | Today’s weather: 🌤 21 C

Good Morning Reader!

My sister is graduating from university this week. Ironically, we became closer when she moved to Toronto in 2018. We grew up in the same house and overlapped at the same high school for two years, but Jaden and I never had that close of a relationship. I was a self-conscious kid, wary of my little sister making me ‘look less cool’ in high school. It wasn’t until there was physical distance between us that we started to bond over navigating a new city by ourselves, and figuring out how to balance school work, a social life, and sports. As the older sibling, I missed my little sister and was worried of her living in the big city. But she thrived. As she enters the real world, I have no doubt that she’ll continue to be just alright.

—Josh Kozelj, intern

In 2011, Lydia Koot founded a black bear committee in Hope to help locals co-exist with bears. 📸 Submitted

NEWS
How to rescue a black bear cub

When The Current phoned Lydia Koot in April, the call went straight to voicemail. The 68-year-old Hope resident had been ready for an interview to talk about her time as the founder of the Hope Mountain Black Bear Committee—but in the bear world, sometimes things come up. Like needing to drive a black bear cub from Hope to Smithers to take it to the Northern Lights Wildlife Society.

"I never thought I would rescue bear cubs," Koot said later. "I was only thinking about how to co-exist with bears, and other wildlife for that matter."

In 2011, Koot founded the Hope Mountain Black Bear Committee to help locals live alongside the bears that call Hope’s mountains home. Today, Koot is a local expert on black bears, speaking to school children, helping residents keep their yards bear-friendly by gleaning fruit, and occasionally driving cubs across the province in a stainless steel dog crate to help them get a new lease on life.

We caught up with Koot to ask her about how she started rescuing bear cubs, what humans need to do to better co-exist with the animal in the Fraser Valley, and how growth and new arrivals are challenging that relationship.

Related story: The secret lives of the Fraser Valley's wild cats

Need to know

🏒 An Abbotsford hockey player has been among the Colorado Avalanche’s standout performers in their quest for the Stanley Cup [Abbotsford News]

🏹 A stray arrow pierced the car of a Chilliwack family driving in Abbotsford Sunday [CBC]

🚨 Officers at Kent Institution seized more than $25,000 in contraband crystal meth and nicotine patches [Chilliwack Progress]

✈️ A dozen planes flew across the U.S. border from the Langley airport to deliver supplies in a disaster preparedness exercise [Langley Advance Times]

🚴 An Abbotsford couple is promising to bike 550km in August to fundraise for the SickKids Foundation [Abbotsford News]

⛳ Local golfer Adam Hadwin finished in the top 10 at the US Open [Sportsnet]

🚫 The federal government is planning to ban single-use plastics over the next 18 months [CBC News]

☺ TODAY’S SMILE: A Mission family restored their late father's unfinished 'dream' car [Mission Record]

Water levels in the Fraser River is forecasted to peak around June 26, then level off. 📸 Tyler Olsen

THE AGENDA

FRASER TO PEAK, THEN DROP, NEXT WEEK
The Fraser River is now expected to peak early next week at Hope, though it's not forecast to rise significantly above its heights from last week. The river level declined modestly last week, but it is expected to gradually rise over the next six days, according to data from the BC River Forecast Centre. Models suggest the river is unlikely to flood in the Fraser Valley, though weather conditions can affect the risk. "In the next few weeks, it is important to maintain situational awareness of changing weather and local streamflow conditions," the centre declared in its most recent bulletin.

TWO NEW BYLAWS TO INCREASE HOUSING IN MISSION
A plan to rezone two properties to increase housing in Mission is set for public feedback next month. The meeting, scheduled for July 4, will ask residents for their thoughts on the city’s plan to rezone properties at 7680 Hurd St. and 32625 Cherry Ave. Currently, the properties are classified as urban residential and suburban zones, respectively. Mission’s proposed plan would convert 7680 Hurd St. into a multi-unit zone to allow for a three-lot subdivision for row homes, and 3265 Cherry Ave. into a space that will permit the construction of a four-lot subdivision. Participation can take place on July 4 at Municipal Hall, over Zoom, or through written submissions.

LANGLEY HAS PLAN TO REDUCE POVERTY
Langley’s two municipalities hope a new five-year plan will help 16,000 households escape poverty. Living Well in Langley will spark 30 actions and 21 advocacy opportunities, such as improvements to the City's rent bank and new employment programs. According to Statistics Canada, there are an estimated 15,665 households experiencing poverty in Langley. Over 30 organizations and 800 people were consulted in the draft process. By 2032, the city hopes "Langley is an inclusive, connected, and equitable community where everyone can live well and thrive." The public is asked to provide feedback on the report, which can be read here.