Volunteer-led initiative harvesting thousands of apples to bear-proof city

While Fall Fruit Fest is new, the idea of harvesting apples before the bears get to them isn’t, as McClymont explained several iterations of this event have existed before. However, under the new banner of PG Fall Fruit Fest, she says the community feedback and amount of volunteers has been fantastic. As for the initiative itself, beyond the focus of bear-proofing the city, it’s also fantastic for food sustainability.

“Why do we want to waste food? Apples are a great source of food for the community, there’s so much that you can make with it. And we want to reduce the impact with human-bear conflict, so picking our fruit, using our fruit, and saving our bears is our main focus and priorities,” McClymont said.

All the apples collected are donated to the Northern Lights Estate Winery, where the usable apples can be used for wine, while the unusable ones go to farms for animal food.

“For the amount of apples that we receive, we will give a financial donation to the Northern Bear Awareness Society for them to continue their mission and also to the Northern Lights Wildlife Shelters in Smithers,” said the Northern Light Estates Winery Director Noemie Touchette.

“The community is giving us so much that it’s a win-win situation, that we provide as much to the community as they do to us,” she continued.

Getting involved with Fall Fruit Fest is as simple as reaching out via the REAPS Facebook page, where you can learn additional details and get set up to do your part. As for what you can do, McClymont explains there’s a lot more than just picking apples.

“If you want to learn how to make fruit leather or jams, jellies, applesauce, there’s information to register for those workshops starting Saturday afternoon and on Sunday,” McClymont said.

While Fall Fruit Fest is only running this weekend, that doesn’t mean you can’t donate apples later in the year though. Whether you’re busy this weekend, or if your apples are just late bloomers, the Winery says it will accept apples the entire fall season, and all types of apples are appreciated.

“We are accepting any type of apples. Crab apples, green, red … the variety, we never know, and that’s what makes every blend special,” Touchette said.

As for bear sightings this year, Conservation Officer and Sergeant of the Omineca Zone Eamon McArthur says it’s been “night and day” when comparing 2024’s sightings to 2023. For example, June, July, and August of 2024 saw a combined 238 calls regarding bears, while August of 2023 saw around 1900 calls in just that one month alone.

“There has been a dramatic decrease in bear sightings, dramatic decrease in in bear conflicts,” McArthur said.

While there could be many factors regarding why the bear sightings have dipped, McArthur thinks the rainy summer helped keep the bears fed in nature, eliminating the need to venture into the city.

“The berries, they’re gigantic, they’re monstrous, and they’re plentiful. So that natural food source is going to allow those bears to to feed naturally,” McArthur said.

While the huge drop in bear calls is certainly welcome, McArthur says events like Fall Fruit Fest, alongside other bear-deterrent activities, are especially important now because bears are preparing to hibernate so they’ll be looking for as much food as possible.

“As we move into September and early October, they start searching out because the food sources are eventually going to dry up with the impending fall,” McArthur said.

If you have fruit trees in your yard, both McArthur and REAPS recommend taking part in Fall Fruit Fest, and continuing to practice safe bear-proof habits.

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by Tommy Osborne

Volunteer-led initiative harvesting thousands of apples to bear-proof city

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