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A bear sleeps in an Aspen alley. Colorado Parks and Wildlife said many bear-human conflicts in Aspen are preventable. Humans need to secure all food sources and remove temptation.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife/courtesy photo
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A bear rummages around trash cans in Aspen looking for food. State wildlife officials said they want to see better compliance in the Upper Roaring Fork Valley with bear regulations to avoid disaster.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife/courtesy photo
State wildlife officials are frustrated because they feel not enough Aspen-area residents and visitors are taking the potential for conflicts with bears serious enough.
The lackadaisical attitude could have dire consequences, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife Area Wildlife Manager Matt Yamashita. He said the CPW regional staff members shake their heads in meetings because they cannot figure out how to increase bear-aware compliance among people in Aspen, Snowmass Village and Pitkin County.
“We’re kind of holding our breath and waiting,” Yamashita said. “Somebody’s going to get hurt.”
As an example, he said people in Aspen learn about bears breaking into homes in their immediate neighborhood via unsecured windows and doors but still don’t take precautions.
“With human-bear conflict numbers like CPW is seeing in the Roaring Fork Valley, it is a matter of time before a human is killed by a bear.” — Matt Yamashita, CPW
“The message doesn’t get through,” Yamashita said.
Rather than acknowledging the danger and taking precautions, people perceive the situation as bears being bears. In contrast, wildlife officers don’t view bears eating out of recycling bins or feasting on bird feeders as natural behavior, Yamashita said. And breaking into homes is definitely not acceptable bear behavior, he added.
Mike Porras, CPW public information officer for the Northwest Region, said the daily Pitkin County 911 bear reports illustrate how severe the problem is on a nightly basis. There are typically five or more bear incidents per night, often involving break-ins of homes.
“Keep in mind, by our estimates, there may be at least two or three additional conflicts not reported for every conflict listed in the (reports),” Porras said in an email. “Some people don’t report conflicts with a bear because they believe the bear will be killed. In some cases they are correct but by making the irresponsible decision to not report a dangerous bear, they are risking human health and safety, which is our primary consideration.”
The Pitkin County 911 bear report for Aug. 11 showed 11 incidents involving a bear Aug. 10 and early Aug. 11. In one case, a bear broke into a home on Mascotte Lane. The reporting party wanted it documented for insurance purposes.
A property manager for two houses on McSkimming Road reported at 2:52 p.m. on Aug. 10 that bear break-ins occurred at both residences.
Another party reported that a bear was stuck in the former Boogie’s Building at about 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 10.
At 11 p.m., a man reported a bear was just being a bear, but people were trying to take selfies with the bruin in the background near the downtown core.
At 5:37 a.m. on Aug. 11, a woman on King Street in Aspen reported a bear was in the house traveling from the kitchen to another room, which was across from the room where her son was located. The family dog was in the room with the bear.
The Aspen Police Department logged 20 home intrusions by bears in July. The department responded to 304 bear calls as of Aug. 13, and it has written 17 tickets for failure to secure trash.
In Snowmass Village, there have been 43 home entries over the summer, 14 vehicle entries, 233 bear reports of some type and 19 trash violation tickets.
Yamashita said enforcement is a key factor to reducing human-bear conflicts. He said enforcement has improved in the valley.
“The missing component is we need public buy-in,” he said.
Porras said bears apparently have easy access to food in unlocked dumpsters and trash cans, bird feeders, dirty grills and pet food left outside, as well as access to homes through unsecure doors and windows.
“As I’ve mentioned, because of the number of bears entering homes or exhibiting aggressive behavior in and around this community, we believe it is only a matter of time before someone in the Aspen/Snowmass Village is severely injured or killed,” he wrote.
Yamashita estimated there have been three to five bear entries into homes per night in the upper valley this summer. He characterized it as an “average conflict year.”
Since April 1, CPW staff has received 483 calls on bears in Pitkin County. Seven of the bears were euthanized.
Many of the conflicts, including break-ins, can be prevented, Yamashita said. People just need to secure windows and doors. Like Porras, he said the danger can’t be stressed enough.
CPW has a section of its website dedicated to living with bears and avoiding conflicts. The information can be found at https://cpw.state.co.us/bears.