Colorado Parks and Wildlife wants to organize a cadre of volunteers to alert folks about what a potentially active bear season means for homeowners.
An initial orientation session is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. May 22 at the agency’s wildlife museum at the fish hatchery, 155 E. 16th St.
Further information is available from Leland Flores at 247-0855 or at Leland.flores@state.co.us.
Follow-up meetings are anticipated as teams form and decide how best to spread information about bold bears that invade urban areas in search of food. Ambassadors who go door-to-door with literature and answers to questions is one possible approach, agency Joe Lewandowski said Monday.
Volunteers also could staff a booth at public events or make public presentations, Lewandowski said.
“Dry conditions limit the natural food available to bears,” Lewandowski said. “We are cautioning residents that bear activity in residential areas may be high this year.”
Steve McClung, district wildlife manager for Parks and Wildlife in the western side of Durango, said agency volunteers have worked out well in other parts of the state.
“We organized a group last year, but (bear) things got too busy,” McClung said. “We weren’t able to utilize them as well as we had anticipated.”
It’s easy to find human food because people don’t secure waste, Lewandowski said. Garbage, pet food, livestock food, barbecue grills, bird feeders, compost piles, chicken pens and fruit trees are easy pickings, he said.
Bears are smart, Lewandowski said. They remember where they found food and return time and again. A mother bear teaches her cubs and can become territorial to the point of defending her bonanza against intruders, including people.
The easiest way to defuse an annoying and potentially dangerous situation is to make food unavailable to ursines, Lewandowski said.
He made several recommendations: Get a bear-resistant garbage can; clean cans to eliminate odors; lock up pet food; suspend bird feeders out of reach of bears; secure compost piles and chicken coops; and keep ground-floor windows and garage doors closed.
daler@durangoherald.com
