Some might call him a bear whisperer for his passion for saving bruins found foraging in Coquitlam yards.
Others facing $500 fines for leaving their garbage out at night might have less kind things to say about Drake Stephens.
But there is no question Stephens leaves his job as Coquitlam's urban wildlife co-ordinator with stories to tell and a legacy of educating humans, and treating animals humanely.
And it all started quite organically.
Before there was a city position dedicated to dealing with people's interaction with wild animals, Stephens was handing out his own letters to people whose messy garbage was attracting bears.
Now, as he leaves behind the post he has held — officially — for four years, and an additional six years as the city's bear aware co-ordinator, the soft-spoken but determined northeast Coquitlam resident said he hopes the city will continue its program of educating people to secure their garbage and animal attractants so the city doesn't become a killing ground for wildlife.
"More education, especially on Burke Mountain, is needed, and multi-language education," said Stephens, who prides himself on having given hundreds of workshops on bear safety to schools and English language classes in Coquitlam over the years.
Staring out the picture window of his Burke Mountain home onto lush forest, it's easy to see why he is so committed to saving the lives of local bears and other animals. He has lived in the area most of his life and is comfortable with seeing creatures on his doorstep.
Recently, he spotted an early riser, a young black bear eating grass in his backyard, and admits he's still excited to see one of nature's most magnificent animals relaxed and gorging on natural food.
"It was pretty thrilling to see the first one of the year," Stephens said.
ANIMAL MAN
Stephens' experience goes beyond simply educating people, staking out neighbourhoods where garbage scofflaws disobey bylaws and handing out warnings and fines (about 600 warnings last year but just three fines).
He's also the right-hand man of the B.C. Conservation Officer Service, which awarded him a special plaque for his dedication.
"I've been in the area for years," said conservation officer Cody Ambrose. "The one constant factor has been Drake Stephens and his wealth and knowledge when it comes to wildlife. His knowledge of the area and his contacts have been a benefit to the Conservation Officer Service, the wildlife and the community."
The veteran officer said Stephens was the point man on educating the community and getting help from the city, such as when a fire department ladder truck was needed to get a bear out of a tree.
"We often work alone in the field and we need help," Ambrose told The Tri-City News. "If we'd call, he'd come on his own off time, and we took his advice. He's been around bears such a long time and he's got a lot of understanding."
And there have been many calls over the years. Over four weeks last November and December, for example, Stephens worked with COs to save the lives of five bear cubs that had been abandoned by their sows.
There were dozens of abandoned cubs across southern B.C. this winter and Stephens speculates that the summer's drought reduced the food supply and so cubs were left on their own. Without intervention, they would have starved to death.
"It was nature making a correction, saying there wasn't enough food."
THE WALMART BEAR
Rescuing the Walmart bear cub was one recent incident.
The cub had been feeding out of a garbage compactor but ended up in a tree in the woods behind a Dominion Triangle housing development in Port Coquitlam.
Stephens got a call from Critter Care. It was his day off and outside of Coquitlam but he went to see what could be done.
He and Ambrose had to climb a fence and walk through a swamp in borrowed rubber boots to rescue the critter.
"Cody darted the bear and I carried it back to the truck."
It was the 32nd B.C. bear taken to Critter Care this winter, the fourth Tri-Cities cub — and another happy ending for Stephens.
When he started his job a decade ago, bears were routinely shot if they ventured into neighbourhoods.
Now, killing them is a last resort because authorities understand that bears won't stick around if there's no food for them to eat or they can be chased out because normally, they're afraid of people.
BIG BOB THE BEAR
Then there's Big Bob, the bear with the big belly that ate too many apples and wouldn't leave a PoCo neighbourhood.
Big Bob was too full to move and insisted on sleeping rather than leaving the area and attracted a lot of attention.
The decision was made to leave the bear alone to sleep it off and eventually it wandered away.
"I heard the RCMP say no one was to discharge a firearm," recalled Stephens. "Ten years ago, he would have been a dead bear just for being near a school."
On average, seven bears are killed each year but last year, only two were shot, a figure Stephens accepts with pride.
But with much of Coquitlam on the edge of green belts, there will be no end to the calls about wildlife just because his career with the city is ending.
Stephens has answered calls about rats, mice, skunks with their heads stuck in jars, nesting raccoons and hungry coyotes.
Once, someone even called in about a moth infestation. "I thought, really?"
Then there are the marmots that hitch a ride on trucks from B.C.'s Interior, causing consternation for a Coquitlam property owner.
"Someone didn't know what they had," Stephens said, recalling the resident saying, "I have this giant guinea pig on steroids in my yard and he's eating my garden."
Rarely has Stephens come across someone who won't clean up their act once they know the reason for doing so, and he has volunteered to put the green waste bin out for an elderly lady who lives on his street who would otherwise have been hit with a $500 fine.
But it's everyone's responsibility to live in peace with wildlife, Stephens says, and everyone should keep their yards free of garbage and attractants.
Stephens hopes at least in Coquitlam he's shown that living with wildlife can be done in a humane and thoughtful way.
