Fencing Bella Coola – Part 3: Reaching the Finish Line

Bella Coola is one of the only places on the coast of British Columbia where you can drive directly from the interior without taking a ferry.

Guide to Electric Fencing Insulators

The Guide to Electric Fencing Insulators is everything you need to know about electric fence insulators, learn how to select the right insulators for your project.

Planning an Electric Fence

When planning an electric fence, it is a good idea to draw out your fence line. Drawing your fence ahead of time will help you to purchase the right quantity of the right materials. We use your drawings to assist you in building out your order

Fencing Bella Coola – Part 2: Constructing a Fence

Bella Coola is known for the Great Bear Rainforest, the world’s largest coastal temperate rainforest. We teamed up with community members and owners of an orchard in the Bella Coola Valley to help keep bears wild by fencing them out of human spaces.

Fencing Bella Coola – Part 1: Understanding Bear Conflict

The rivers around Bella Coola come alive with spawning salmon every Fall which attracts a large population of Grizzly Bears. These powerful predators gather along the Atnarko and Bella Coola Rivers to feed, playing a vital role in the local ecosystem.

Fencing a Creston Dairy Farm: Why Electric Fencing Ultimately Helps Animals

The Creston Valley, located in southeastern British Columbia, is known for its fertile farmland and the Kootenay River, which provides vital habitat for a wide range of wildlife.

Wildlife vs. Highways: How Electric Fences reduce Wildlife Collisions

Elk Valley, located in British Columbia, is a mountainous region known for its dense forests and clear rivers. It’s home to iconic wildlife such as elk, grizzly bears, and wolverines.

Electrifying Liard River Hot Springs

History of Conflict Although the source of the springs is natural, the pools were built during the construction of the Alaska Highway during WWII. Liard Hot Springs are very remote, being entirely surrounded by undisturbed wilderness. The geothermal-supported microclimate is vibrant and the valley is extremely productive for black bears and other wildlife. Bears have even been observed to soak in the hot pools themselves. The hot pools are the second largest in Canada, and are the only major attraction for hundreds of miles. Because of this, many travelers on the Alaska Highway stop for a soak or to camp. The concentration of bears in combination with non-natural attractants, creates an opportunity for increased human-bear conflicts. Unfortunately, this deadly combination resulted in two human fatalities in 1997. Partially as a result of this history, lethal control was often used as a primary mitigation strategy for human-bear conflict. Construction This site features challenges beyond our other electric fencing projects. A small specialist team was able to solve these issues- proving that electric fencing is a practical solution at even the most challenging sites. Site Size The total fence line was surveyed at 1600 meters, a moderately large electric fence in total distance. To adapt for the large site size, we added substantial grounding as well as multiple energizers to ensure an effective shock would be delivered at any spot on the fence. Vehicle Access The requirement for easy and frequent vehicle access demanded a more user-friendly solution than a simple gate. A custom-designed electrified wildlife guard (similar to a cattle- guard) was designed and installed to allow un-restricted vehicle access while excluding animals. Fence Line Selection The fence was constructed around the perimeter of the park facilities, camping, and day-use areas, with all visitor parking contained within the fence. As the campground was already constructed, there was little room between the camping pads and the wetland area which is the Department of Fisheries designated critical habitat for endemic snails. Precision surveying, fencing preparation, and 31 direction changes along the fence line allowed construction within these constraints. Fence Line Preparation Much of the fence line was located in heavily forested areas, because of this, it is important that a fence line is prepared both for construction and future fence maintenance. Wildlife should have a chance to clearly see a fence through a cleared area rather than bumping into a fence in the midst of heavy forest. We used an industrial mulcher to clear the right-of-way, which also helps in suppressing vegetative regrowth. As the area has had indigenous use, an archaeologist supervised construction and identified a number of culturally modified trees. Visual Impact on Park Guests Electric fencing can be intimidating for anyone who is not experienced in dealing with them. The fence was designed to remain visually appealing while also including necessary signage to ensure proper use of the fencing system. The fencing around the picnic site was made out of wood rail material with electric fence outrigging to maintain park aesthetics in the most visible areas of the fence line. News stories from the fatal Liard River Hot Springs bear attacks in 1997 (left) Map of the electric fence erected by Margo Supplies, photo of vehicle drive-over gate and pedestrian gate (right). For More Information on the Liard River Hot Springs project, click the link below:

Using Electric Fencing to Manage Bear Conflict

Bear conflict, in large, is driven by food in Alberta. Margo Supplies Heavy Duty fence is the tool of choice for homeowners, hobby farms, and industry professionals. The Heavy Duty fence is a multi-functional carnivore fence that can be a standalone fence system or can be installed on an existing fence. http://vimeo.com/video/631000796?h=8d541b7de8 Jay Honeyman is a bear conflict biologist with Alberta Environment and Parks. His job is large carnivore conflict mitigation and with that, he often deals with human-bear conflict. Jay explains the nature of these conflicts, and how installing a simple electric fence can protect high-value food sources from bears. From hobby farms to industry professionals, the benefits of electric fencing can be easily understood after speaking with Honeyman. “By reducing conflict and reducing these attractants so that bears aren’t interested in coming onto people’s properties. We’re not having to euthanize bears, we’re not having to relocate bears, we’re not having property damage for the landowner, and we’re not having public safety issues with bears hanging around properties.” – Honeyman, 2021 Electric Fencing is an integral component for managing conflicts with bears, especially when bears are motivated to an area. Once a bear gets a food reward they become quite driven and they will return to the area. Electric fencing breaks this reward cycle and tells the bear that they need to move on. “By removing the food source, it’s a win-win for everyone, and it’s something we should be doing more of”