Foothills County is partnering with the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation area, as well as local wildlife experts in an effort to help local landowners and residents cohabit with wildlife in the area.

The workshop will take place on Saturday May 11th and will cover topics such as managing wildlife attractants, reducing encounters, coexisting and mitigation strategies.  There will even be demonstrations on how to use bear spray effectively.

CEO of the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area Greg Shyba says it won't all be based on bears and wolves, but smaller creatures as well.

"We had a skunk one day, just within a few feet of our education centre, and we need to learn how to manage that skunk so that we don't have a bus load of kids going back with someone having been sprayed by a skunk - It wouldn't have been too pleasant." Shyba adds,   "Land owners face these types of challenges when skunks get into compost or grain bins."

Shyba says, there will also be presentations on the more dangerous animals of the Foothills like bears, and how farmers can keep them off their land, away from their livestock and out of their grain bins.

"People can learn ways that the might change their protection of grains and cereals on their farms for example, to limit the access to those by wildlife." Shyba gives an example, "In this area here we hear a lot more about conflict with Grizzly bears coming into people's yards and accessing grain.  Folks in the area could use things like electric fences for example to limit how those bears get in.  Once they have a taste of grain, it's hard to keep them away once they get habituated to food."

Interested parties can go to here to register for the free event, if this one fills up, Shyba says they will plan a second workshop.