From Japan to the Yukon and all the way to Ecuador, the conflicts between bears and people remain the same.

"Garbage comes up wherever you go,” says Lori Homstol, a bear-conflict specialist who's in Whitehorse this week working with WildWise Yukon.

She will also make a public presentation Thursday evening at the Canada Games Centre.

Homstol's work has taken her throughout Alberta and B.C. south to Montana and Ecuador and Japan.

In an interview Tuesday, shortly after arriving in Whitehorse with her bear dog, Sisko, Homstol said that while bears getting into garbage is an issue wherever she's travelled, it's also among the easiest issues to solve.

Essentially making garbage containers and bins bear-resistant, she said, means making them "lazy human-proof.”

Community bear-resistant dumpsters have proved to be the most successful approach to keeping bears away from homes and garbage, Homstol said.

She noted she doesn't have a lot of experience with the new bear-resistant garbage totes on the market for individual homes which may have potential.

During her presentation tomorrow night, Homstol will share her experience in working on bear management around the world.

She will cover common bear-conflict issues and offer advice on how to prevent negative bear encounters in the city.

Her work began in the 1990s, when she started volunteering in Banff, Alta.

As her interest in the animals grew, she also learned it wasn't difficult to find opportunities to monitor the animals whether she's in North America, Asia or anywhere else in the world where there are bears.

While her work is focused on bears, Homstol noted, "It's more working with people.”

Providing education on how to secure bear attractants and helping erect electric fences to keep bears away are among some of her roles in bear management.

Homstol also works to locate bears which have been a problem for nearby residents.

She also works to find attractants which may be drawing bears to a property, though Sisko does a lot of that work as a search dog.

Sisko accompanies Homstol on many calls involving bears.

In addition to tracking and locating bears, Sisko is also largely responsible for finding attractants that may be drawing a bear to someone's property.

There's been more than one occasion where a homeowner has insisted there's nothing out on their property that would attract a bear.

Sisko, Homstol pointed out, is attracted to many of the same items a bear would be, and it doesn't take long before the dog is out.

A homeowner might have garbage and other attractants secure, but forget about something else like an animal carcass hanging on the property.

Homstol's presentation will happen from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. tomorrow in the Green Room at the Canada Games Centre.

It's set to be a family-friendly event with a colouring station for children. Resources to help residents make their homes, yards and businesses less attractive to bears will be provided as well.

The timing of the presentation is no coincidence with spring here and more bears coming out of hibernation.

WildWise Yukon's program co-ordinator Carmen Smith said with a mandate to help reduce conflicts between bears and humans, the group is working to educate residents with presentations like this.

As a relatively new organization as well, she noted WildWise also has a lot to learn.

So, when there was an opportunity to bring Homstol to the territory for workshops with WildWise and a public presentation through support from the Department of Environment, the organization jumped on it, she said.

WildWise is also moving into the second phase of a pilot program which has seen 51 residents of Finch Crescent provided with locks to prevent bears from getting into their garbage and compost bins.

"It was a really big success,” Smith said.

She went on to highlight the results of two surveys – one done prior to the locks being provided and one done after last year's bear season.

In the exit survey, completed by 40 residents, only one respondent said the locks were not easy to use.

Six, however, expressed concerns that the locks wouldn't work during the winter months, as it's recommended the locks be used year-round.

WildWise is set to contact homeowners this spring to find out how the locks worked.

Similar locks, it was noted, are used in northern B.C. year-round without any problems.

"Only one homeowner said the cans were not easy to use,” WildWise stated in a summary of the survey results.

"We were very pleased, as the locks will only be effective if they are easy and people use them.

"The resident was concerned the clips were too big. WildWise Yukon could look into replacing the larger clips with slightly smaller ones if more residents request it.”

While the exit survey also found there were fewer cases of bears in the area, Smith noted last season had a good berry season which may have also contributed to keeping bears away.

WildWise is planning to continue its monitoring in the area this year along with expanding the pilot to more streets in Copper Ridge or Granger.

The city recently approved environmental grant funding to permit WildWise to move into the second phase of the project and provide the locks.

The group is also proposing that more bylaw regulations be put in place to help keep bears out of residential areas.

Among them, WildWise is suggesting residents be required to put their garbage or compost out the morning of pickup only and that garbage and compost be required to be secured in a shed/garage or with locks.

"These two bylaws are important to the success of the locking devices,” notes a summary report on the survey.

Smith noted each year there are numerous bear encounters in the city – and a lot of that has to do with attractants on residential properties. Those bears often have to be relocated or in some cases destroyed.

"It's a bit of a death sentence,” Smith said, noting her hope that education and items like the locking devices can be secured.