<\/p>\n
A wet spring and early summer giving rise to acorns and berries could make for fewer bears heading for neighborhood trash cans this fall.<\/p>\n
So far, that seems to be the trend.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe haven\u2019t had too many issues where we had to try to trap many bears,\u201d said Matt Thorpe, area wildlife manager for Colorado Parks and Wildlife.<\/p>\n
What his wildlife officers have seen corresponds to what Heather Johnson, a biologist with CPW, has found during the first four years of a study on bears and human development.<\/p>\n
Most bears seem to associate human food with risk, and bears that seek human food during a drought year will not always seek it out if there are natural foods available, Johnson said.<\/p>\n
She describes bears as \u201cpretty sophisticated decision-makers.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Johnson and the other researchers also found that there are some bears that never choose to seek human food and some that always go after human food.<\/p>\n
She expects her findings will influence bear management within CPW.<\/p>\n
\u201cPutting a lot of bears down in those bad food years is not necessarily going to fix the problem,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Perhaps, unsurprisingly, because it has been a good year for wild bear foods, CPW has put down only five bears in La Plata County, Thorpe said.<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s difficult to put this number in context because CPW doesn\u2019t have an estimate of how many bears live in the region. Johnson hopes to be able to remedy that soon with her data.<\/p>\n
Currently, CPW estimates that statewide, there are between 16,000 and 20,000 bears, said Joe Lewandowski, CPW spokesman in Durango.<\/p>\n
\u201cBears are not endangered; they\u2019re thriving,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Locally, there are plenty of anecdotes about bears feasting on trash, chickens, honey and other treats found around homes, said Bryan Peterson, director of Bear Smart Durango.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt seems like they\u2019re everywhere,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
This year, 432 bear sightings and incidents in the county and Durango have been reported to Bear Smart Durango and the CPW office, Peterson said.<\/p>\n
Out of all the sightings, there have been 194 reports of bears getting into trash.<\/p>\n
Sometimes, once bears find a source of food, it can be tough to change their behavior, Peterson said. For example, there have been some local bears that have started chewing through trash cans.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are bear-resistant trash cans that work on grizzlies that are failing here,\u201d Peterson said.<\/p>\n
Deterring bears<\/p>\n
Bear-resistant trash cans are an important step to keeping bears away from homes. Electric fences can also help deter bears from eating gardens, chickens, beehives, pigs and other food sources that can\u2019t be moved.<\/p>\n
Bear Smart has helped with 13 fences this year, and the organization can provide $100 toward a fencing project to offset the cost.<\/p>\n
\u201cDone right, it\u2019s proven to be the most effective tool,\u201d Peterson said.<\/p>\n
Over the years, Ed Young has worked to protect his chickens at his home on East Animas Road (County Road 250) from bears, foxes and hawks.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you are a chicken, you are at the bottom of the pecking order,\u201d he joked.<\/p>\n
Bears have knocked down fences around his chicken yard and left claw marks on the coop. So this summer, he installed an electric fence and hasn\u2019t had a problem since.<\/p>\n
To report bears raiding trash cans, Durango residents may call city code enforcement at 375-4930. La Plata County residents may call the Sheriff\u2019s Office at 385-2900.
\n To report bear sightings and bear incidents, call Colorado Parks and Wildlife at 247-0855 or visit the Bear Smart Durango website at bearsmartdurango.org.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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