IDFG set annual North Idaho Bear Fair

BONNERS FERRY — Come learn the basics of how to live and recreate safely in bear country Sept. 28 at the Boundary County Fairgrounds.  

If you live in North Idaho, you live in bear country, plain and simple. The region is home to both black and grizzly bears and living and recreating safely in their midst requires intentionality and specific training and skills. 

To help with this, Idaho Fish and Game is offering its second annual North Idaho Bear Fair, scheduled for Sept. 28 at the Boundary County Fairgrounds. The fair will take place from noon to 4 p.m. 

The event is free, and registration is not required. Free food will be provided for those who attend, and folks can enter to win free prizes. 

Participants at the event will have the opportunity to learn vital skills for coexisting with wildlife. Fish and Game will offer bear spray training using inert canisters on a remote-controlled charging grizzly bear. Those who complete the training will receive a free canister of bear spray, while supplies last.

The event will also feature lessons on protecting livestock, chicken coops, animals and beehives with electric fencing. Attendees can bring their own apples and containers to use a large cider press for making fresh apple cider.

Fish and Game representatives will provide information about their livestock carcass pickup program and offer tips for safely camping in bear country.

North Idaho Bear Fair is a partnership between Idaho Department of Fish and Game, the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wildlife Services, the Idaho Governor’s Office of Species Conservation, the Kootenai Valley Resource Initiative and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

Information: tinyurl.com/4p6dp9cc