Harvest Match – Matching Trees & People
The City of Castlegar and WildSafeBC have launched Harvest Match, a pilot program to reduce food waste and bear attractants.
This new match-making program connects fruit or nut tree owners with locals ready to pick unwanted fruit & nuts. The program has been developed in anticipation of a busy bear season after seeing more bears than usual in the City this past spring.
“This spring we saw a rise in the human-bear conflict in Castlegar which, unfortunately, led to 6 bears being destroyed,” says Tracey Butler, the City of Castlegar’s Director of Corporate Services. “As a Bear Smart community, we hate to see this happen, so we are excited to work with WildSafeBC to try something new and fun that encourages community participation.”
Nearly ripe, ripe, and fallen fruit and nuts are known attractants to bears. Harvesting unwanted fruit and nuts from these trees provide benefits to tree owners, pickers and to the environment.
We are offering three ways to find a match:
Match online
Join our Facebook Group Harvest Match Castlegar. Watch for fruit & nut tree posts and make arrangements to get picking or get picked.
Let us match you
Call us at 250.608.5404 or email us at castlegar@wildsafebc.com. If you have a fruit and nut tree that needs picking or are looking to help someone else with their harvest, let us know and we will try to match you.
Keep it simple
Stop by City Hall and get a fun sign to display near your fruit or nut tree so people know you want to share.
Bear Smart Community
In 2021, after several years of hard work and dedication, Castlegar officially became a Bear Smart community. The Bear Smart Community Program is a voluntary, preventative conservation measure that encourages communities, businesses, and individuals to work together to reduce human-wildlife conflict.
For more information, please contact:
Bree Seabrook
Communications Manager
250.304.8133
Tara Pejski
WildSafeBC’s Castlegar Coordinator
250.608.5404
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