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Family Fun Day at the Ranch was a lot of fun mixed with a little bit of education about living with wildlife.

BC's Resort Municipality of Whistler is reminding the community to keep wildlife attractants secured and BBQs clean as more black bears begin waking up.

Despite what seems like the renewal of winter this week, Whistler residents are being asked to prepare for the awakening of the local black bear population. The emergence from hibernation comes at the same time the municipality has received funding to

"This is learning by true experience, so now we've specifically identified the plants that we will not approve should a landscape design come to us for approval," said Mayor Nancy Wilhelm-Morden. The group has also worked in recent years to reduce the level of garbage available to bears in the community, leading to Whistler achieving the Bear Smart Community Status for its efforts in 2011. Through the BWG's work, 22 strata garbage sheds were improved in recent years to further prevent access by bears. "As we reduced the amount of garbage that's available to bears, other priorities have arisen...