I read it as Mandatory Hair Spray
Posted on 08/01/2011 6:21:22 PM PDT by MamaDearest
BANFF, Alta. - One of the most popular hiking and biking trails in Banff National Park is bringing in restrictions at the height of the summer tourist season due to fears of bear attacks.
The Lake Minnewanka Trail has been a favourite haunt for hikers and mountain bikers for decades. There are over three million visitors to the park each year and many of them take to the 32-kilometre trail northeast of the Banff townsite.
Until Sept. 15, it will be mandatory for hikers to travel in groups of at least four. At least one of the individuals will be required to carry bear spray.
"This is the first time we've required bear spray and it's only on this section of trail," Parks Canada spokesman Mark Merchant saidThursday.
"If people don't follow the rules, it gives us another thing that the law enforcement branch can fall back on. That's going to be the last recourse."
Being charged requires a mandatory court appearance where a judge can impose a fine of up to $25,000 under the National Parks Act. Merchant said there have been no close calls this season but the risk is still there. There are an estimated 60 grizzly bears within the boundaries of the park as well as another 40 to 50 black bears. Many are now feeding on the plentiful buffalo berries in the area.
"We have had encounters in the past. We've had a mauling and we've had also just close encounters," Merchant said.
"We really need to emphasize how serious we're taking the situation on this section of trail. By telling people 'you have to carry bear spray' we really think we're going to drive that message home.
"Bear spray probably is the best tool as a last resort. It has proven more effective then firearms or anything else."
There is also a ban on mountain bikers and dogs on most of the trail. Merchant said mountain bikers are quieter and faster than hikers and are more prone to surprise a bear. The local cycling group is supportive of the new rules, he added.
The Parks Canada website says that between 1998 and 2005 there were five bear attacks in Banff National Park in two locations: Allenby Pass near Bryant Creek and the Aylmer Pass trail near Lake Minnewanka.
All of the bear attacks were on hikers alone or in small groups and happened when they surprised female grizzlies with cubs along the trails during berry season.
There hasn't been a fatal bear attack in the park since 1980.
“My nephew tried to catch him and he took off with the hook and line.. found him dead on the island in the middle of the lake, choked on the hook”.
You are talking about the alligator right and NOT your nephew?!
Sad, I was an "Adorn" girl in those days. Always the innovative female, I use hair spray to immobilize spiders before I crush them.
Do they draw straws ... short straw sprays the bear and the other three stand there and crap their pants before they are mauled. Might want to carry a “Goes Bang” along with the Ipods and bear spray.
Just see it as a selective cull on yuppie cyclists.
In the long run it will strengthen the peleton.
(When loaded with 300 gr FMJs of course...)
Naah...the real test is to clime a tree.
If it climbs up after you it’s a black bear.
If it pushes the tree over, it’s a grizzly.
can you bring bear spray INTO Canada?
Need a pair of overalls with 160 straps, one for each can, all set to spray at the same time, sort of like a suicide muslim.
True story. Back in 1997 I went on a camping trip in Ontario. Crossing over from Michigan, I got hit with a bored customs officer drawling out "Do you have any gunsknivesbombschemicalweaponsatomicweaponsphasersdeathrayspeppersprayblahblahblah..."
"Oh! Yeah, I keep some pepper spray here in the car!" I blurted out. (Duh!)
So I got detoured over to the customs building holding a "Weapons/Firearms citation". Gave them the pepper spray and was allowed to go on my way. Drove to the campground and walked into the office.
Waiting my turn at the counter I picked up a bear safety brochure. You guessed it - first thing I read was how you should use bear spray to protect yourself. $&@%!!@# Bear spray is just upgunned, highly concentrated pepper spray. And they just confiscated mine!
Idiots are born every minute. But to achieve the apex of idiocy, you need government.
I think a hand gun for self defense would be more effective.
yeah, yeah... try finding the rolls in the exact number. Impossible!
Well I'd make sure I could outrun at least one of the other three.
I’ll pass on the bear spray. I’ll bring my .300 Weatherby Mag instead.
Wouldn’t it be easier and just kill all the bears? I mean they always seem to have a crappy attitude, so why put up with them?
I apologize to bear huggers everywhere. If one of them thinks I’m dinner, I’m taking it out . . .
now that if funny....:O)
Don’t trust the reports. The biologists were caught several years ago planting grizzly and lynx hair. They’d already planned to have 1.3 million acres roped off from humans when the fraud was discovered.
Their goal is to prove that these rare species need the land to re-populate. But their real goal is to acquire as much land as possible and have total control over it with none of us using it.
I don’t doubt that grizzly may wander from Canada down into the north Cascades, but don’t allow them to rope off our land because of a photograph.
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