Loewen says 7,000 Albertans applied to eliminate problem wildlife such as grizzlies

Alberta Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen said about 7,000 Albertans have applied for spots to assist in eliminating problem grizzly bears and elk since the government announced it would form a pool for them to act as public wildlife management responders. Because of the large number of applicants, Loewen said it is “a good sign that Albertans want to be involved to manage wildlife in Alberta.” “It’s something that has been long-standing government policy to have Albertans manage wildlife, and I think a lot of people want to be involved with that process,” said Loewen in a Wednesday interview with the Western Standard. He pointed out 30 Albertans had been selected for a shortlist — 10 each in northern, central, and southern Alberta — through a random draw. Additionally, he said anyone who is licensed to hunt, gone through the training program, and has experience is qualified to apply for it. If a problem wildlife emerges, the first person on the responder list in the area will be contacted and will see officials move down it if he or she is unavailable. The criteria for every situation will be different, with conservation officials setting them based on the matrix that is in place. Conservation officials will establish how long recipients will have to go after the animals, what area they will be able to search for them in, and how that happens. They might offer details on what the grizzly bears look like. Loewen said this program is more of a wildlife management initiative than a hunt because hunters can choose when, where, and what they are hunting. However, wildfire responders do not get to make these choices. Since the program had large demand, he said the Alberta government will be instating a fee for people to enter the draw the next season. He said he does not know what the fee will be, but it will be higher than for other draws to demonstrate applicants are serious about it. While 30 Albertans were put on the shortlist, he said none had been contacted to go after problem wildlife. As the process goes on, he predicted that number will change. While eliminating problematic grizzlies is a top priority, he said the program includes elk because they can cause substantial damage to agriculture. He added there is no personal danger with elk, but they can eliminate tens of thousands of dollars worth of crops if a herd moves into a field. The forestry and parks minister went on to say he thinks the program will be successful. This is because it is using the same matrix Alberta Fish and Wildlife officers use when they want to kill or move bears. If people want to apply for this program, he said they should be prepared to be available on short notice and to travel where problem wildlife are. He encouraged people to be part of the process because it is a great opportunity. Loewen concluded by saying this program is important because it involves Albertans and takes care of issues they are having. “So I guess we’re pairing a problem solver to somebody that has a problem,” he said. “That’s the way we do things in Alberta.” The Alberta government said in July it had implemented new measures to reduce the number of grizzly bears intruding on rural properties, hurting people, and damaging crops. .Alberta to put humans ahead of grizzlies.Alberta Forestry and Parks press secretary Pam Davidson said the problem wildlife management strategy will be a last resort after existing human-wildlife conflict tools have been used in attempts to deter the bears. After submitting applications, eligible Albertans will be chosen at random from a shortlist to be in charge of tracking and killing bears that have been causing problems.