Help keep Colorado Springs' bears wild

Vickie Smith

 Cheyenne Edition

 May 29, 2109

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As our black bears come out of hibernation and begin roaming our neighborhoods, the Colorado Springs Bear Smart Task Force is asking all residents to do their part in keeping the bears wild and preventing human/bear conflicts.

The bears will be hungry as they wake up and will begin searching for the easiest food source, which is frequently unsecured trash. Many have been habituated to search for garbage because it’s always been available.

In 2017, 30 bears were euthanized west of I-25. This is unacceptable for a city that prides itself on being home to a diverse wildlife population. We have been fortunate that there have been no direct human/bear conflicts, but this scenario becomes more likely as bears become more comfortable around humans.

To keep our residents safe and our bears wild, here are a few actions that will significantly reduce human/bear conflicts:

• Put your trash out only on the morning of pick up (not the night before), or store it in a bear resistant cart or enclosure. There is no such thing as a bear-proof cart.

• Place all bird feeders, including hummingbird feeders, out of the reach of bears, or better yet, move them indoors at night.

• Keep pets and livestock in a secure, roofed enclosure if they are outside overnight.

• Reduce the number of attractants around your home, including food, unclean grills, garbage containing food scraps or odors, and composts containing food. It is helpful to freeze any food items that are in the trash

• Lock all bear-accessible doors and windows in your home and garage at night and when you are not at home. This is particularly critical if you have a freezer full of food in your garage.

• Remove all food items, bags and wrappers from your cars parked outside and keep the windows and doors closed and locked.

Unsecured garbage is the single largest attractant for bears because it is such an easy food source. Additionally, trash providers, neighbors and residents must spend extra time picking up trash that has been ransacked by bears.

Please join the Colorado Springs Bear Smart Task Force in our efforts to protect and preserve our bear population and our community. By working together and taking simple steps to secure and remove attractants, we can make such a difference.

Vickie Smith is a member of the Colorado Springs Bear Smart Task Force, a group of concerned citizens working to reduce the number of bears euthanized in Colorado Springs. Learn more at springsbeartaskforce.blogspot.com. Submit your guest columns to the editor at hannah.maginot@pikespeaknewspapers.com for print consideration.