Lake Cowichan islanders form Bear Aware Association to address human-bear conflicts and reduce lethal measures.

Islanders in Lake Cowichan have formed the Bear Aware Association to address the issue of bear killings caused by human-bear conflicts. Since October 2023, the group has been meeting regularly to educate the public on how to avoid attracting bears to human settlements and reduce the need for lethal control measures. The initiative comes in response to increasing encounters between bears and humans in the area.