It’s both hunting season and baseball season, so here’s a tongue-in-cheek yet serious solution to reduce the number of bear/human conflicts.
It’s time to play baseball with the bears. Three strikes and you’re out:
The first time a household or business causes a bear attractant to result in a conflict, the owner will be fined $500 and must perform community service to help eliminate such conflicts. Strike one!
The second time the same household or business causes a bear attractant to result in conflict, the offending party will be fined $1,000 and the community service length doubled. Strike two!
The third time the same household or business causes a bear attractant to result in conflict, the offending party will either be relocated to an area where there are no bears, or will be euthanized. Strike three!
After a few years, the number of bear/human conflicts should decrease significantly.
There are three additional benefits to Durango. First, there may be more homes available for purchase, hopefully reducing the cost of buying a home here.
Second, with fewer residents, traffic congestion could decrease.
Third, more bear tags could be available, keeping hunters happy.
Remember, the bears were here first. They follow their noses to attractants. Humans are supposed to be smarter than bears and should be able to eliminate the attractants.
We are living in the bears’ habitat, so don’t cause a bear conflict, or you might strike out of Durango!
Craig Campbell, Mark Smith, Greg Jadrych, Susan and Tim Schaldac
Durango
