Colorado Parks and Wildlife announced Tuesday that Bear Smart Durango, the nonprofit working to reduce human-bear conflicts in the area, received a $90,000 grant.
The funds will be directed to three projects, the organization’s Executive Director Bryan Peterson said.
One third of the grant will go to the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, which will purchase 100 bear-proof trash cans to distribute to tribal members; a third will go the San Juan National Forest for the purchase of food lockers for popular primitive campsites; and a third will be used to subsidize the purchase of bear-proof trash cans for private citizens in La Plata County.
Peterson said the $90,000 is not the $138,000 the organization requested, but it makes a difference. Bear Smart Durango was one of 20 organizations that received an award of the total $1 million distributed.
Last year, in CPW’s first round of bear-related grants, the nonprofit was awarded $206,539 to fund similar infrastructure developments and hire a bear resource officer and a fruit gleaning coordinator.
While the details of the rebate program are not established yet, Peterson said the money will be used to encourage county residents who live outside of Durango and Bayfield city limits to purchase bear-proof trash cans. The $100 rebates will cover roughly a third of the total cost of a new receptacle.
Bear-proof cans significantly reduce conflict with humans. Bears learn to repeatedly return to known food sources such as unsecured garbage, and become “problem bears” and demand relocation.
Peterson is encouraging residents to report bear sightings, non-trash bear incidents and trash accessed by bears call the La Plata County Bear Hotline at 247-BEAR (2327).
rschafir@durangoherald.com
This story has been updated with the correct title for the bear resource officer.
