AVOIDING BEAR CONFLICT

Many residents enjoy seeing bears. But if we as a community do not want conflicts with bears we must learn to change our behavior regarding bears. Bears are attracted to anything that is edible or particularly odorous. Removing anything that is attracting bears to your property, especially trash, is a good start. Bears are just doing what comes naturally. The charge of living responsibly and coexisting with black bears lies solely with us.











CARE OF TRASH     ^back to top
The majority of bear problems in the Durango area are trash related. Studies have shown three simple steps that can eliminate approximately 90% of all bear conflict.


THREE SIMPLE STEPS FOR TRASH!

Put your trash out the morning of pick-up only, not the night before.
This is by far, the single most important factor in reducing human and bear conflict. A 1994 Arizona study found that residents who left their garbage out overnight had a 70% chance of a bear visit, whereas residents who stored their trash securely until the morning of pick-up reduced their chances of a bear visit down to 2%. Never leave trash out overnight unsecured. Place your trash container out as close to curbside pick-up as possible.


Store your trash during the week in a safe and secure location or in a bear-proof container.
Store trash in a shed, garage, secured building, structure or in your home where bears cannot access it during the week. (Bungie cords for trash cans are a good start, but are ineffective as bear deterrents). Do not stockpile garbage. Freeze particularly smelly items, meat, fish, bones and fruit for instance, until trash pick-up or at the least wrap tightly in plastic trash bags to reduce odors. If you lack a secure site to store your trash, try to be inventive in your trash storage.


Occasionally clean your trash container.
Clean your trash container periodically with a solution of bleach and hot water to reduce odors that attract bears. A spray bottle works well. Occasionally tossing a bleach-soaked rag in with your trash helps as well.


BEAR-PROOF CONTAINERS     ^back to top
The most effective way to eliminate bear and human conflict is the use of bear-proof containers, which feature wildlife-proof latching systems and sturdy construction. Places where bear-proof containers are mandatory, such as National Parks, report bear conflict being practically nonexistent. Several Colorado towns including Telluride, Snowmass Village, Steamboat Springs, Basalt and Aspen require residents and businesses to use bear-proof poly cart containers and dumpsters. Click here for a list of bear-proof container suppliers.


The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee has begun testing bear-proof containers and food-storage products using captive grizzly bears at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center near Yellowstone for effectiveness amongst various manufacturers. WATCH VIDEO OF GRIZZLIES TESTING CONTAINERS


The City of Durango has 95 gallon bear-proof poly cart containers available for city residents. For more information, call Public Works at 385-2860. If you live in the county, talk to your waste provider about bear-proof container options.


TRASH ENCLOSURES     ^back to top
If you can't keep your trash in a bear-proof container, secure shed, garage or other fully-enclosed structure, residents or businesses can construct trash enclosures that prevent bears from accessing trash containers and dumpsters.

The most successful enclosures utilize materials that bears can not bite or claw their way through (metal flanges and hinges, concrete bases or walls) and durable construction lasting many years.

SEE TRASH ENCLOSURE EXAMPLES






TEMPORARY TRASH STORAGE     ^back to top
Any sturdy, durable, closed and locked metal or heavy-duty plastic container can be used to store trash or other bear attractants until they can be properly disposed of or picked up by a trash hauler, including: steel storage drums with modified locking lids, tool, truck and storage boxes or cabinets, ammo boxes, horse and cargo trailers and zircon containers.








YOUR YARD     ^back to top

BIRD FEEDERS
It is best to not use bird feeders at all during bear activity, from mid-April until late fall. (Birds don't need supplemental feed at this time anyway.) Bears find the sugar water solution in hummingbird feeders particularly attractive. As an alternative, plant native flowers which are known to appeal to hummingbirds.

Make feeders unavailable to bears by hanging them at least 10 feet from the ground and four feet from any supporting post, porch, deck or tree trunk. A simple pulley system can remedy many hummingbird feeder problems. Better yet, bring feeders inside at night.

Do not overfill feeders and promptly clean up any fallen seed. Store feed in a safe, secured location or in a bear-proof container.


COMPOSTING
Anything other than grasses and leaves should not be composted during high-bear activity. Especially, do not discard meat, fish, oil, dairy, kitchen waste, melon rinds, fruits or other particularly odorous bear attractants during that time. Keep the pile aerated and turned and occasionally sprinkle with lime to reduce odor and hasten the composting process. Locate compost well away from forest cover and natural pathways used by bears. You can also construct a bear-resistant enclosure for your composter using sturdy materials.

Odor-free, indoor composting works well for small kitchen scraps. Garbage disposals reduce the amount of garbage and trash compactors reduce the volume of kitchen waste until it can be properly disposed.


GARDENS
Black bears love tomatoes, squashes, melons, early vegetables, sweet corn and any other particularly aromatic plants and foods. Pick vegetables as they ripen. Distance your garden away from your house if possible and away from natural cover or obvious bear pathways. If you live in a rural setting consider the use of electric fencing to protect your garden. Be aware that blood meal, fish fertilizer and deer repellent attract bears.


FRUIT TREES AND BERRY-PRODUCING SHRUBS
Fruit and berries are natural bear food sources, so it's wise to locate these foods away from your home. Pick fruit as it ripens and remove all fallen fruit from the ground. To keep bears from damaging your trees, get the fruit off the tree, either by shaking the tree or tossing picked fruit to the ground.

Find someone else that can use your extra fruit, especially if you can't pick it yourself. Turtle Lake Refuge at 247-8395 has volunteers that will gladly come pick or collect extra fruit. Manna Soup Kitchen at 385-5095 accepts fruit donations as well.

If you absolutely do not want bears in your yard it would be best to remove fruit-bearing trees or berry-producing shrubs and replace them with varieties that don't attract bears. If you live in a rural area, use electric fencing to protect valuable trees and produce.


BARBECUE GRILLS
Burn off excess food and clean grills after each use. Store in a safe and secure location, but do not store your propane tank inside, as it is a fire hazard. Occasionally clean grill with ammonia to reduce odors. Don't leave cooking food unattended and promptly remove or discard anything that can attract bears, including coolers, utensils, used paper plates and soda cans.


PETS AND PET FOOD
Do not leave pet food or bowls out overnight or unattended. If possible, feed pets indoors during high bear activity. Avoid feeding pets outside at dusk when bears are active. Feed only the amount that pets may consume in one feeding and clean up extra food. Store pet food in a safe, secured location or in a bear-proof container.

Cats and other small pets should be kept indoors when unsupervised, especially at night, when predatory animals (coyotes, mountain lions and bears) can’t prey on them.


VEHICLES
Don’t leave any odorous items - trash, pet food, soda cans or coolers in your vehicle or in the back of a pick-up truck as bears can easily pry open vehicle windows and doors to access foods.








AT YOUR BUSINESS     ^back to top

Bears find easy food rewards at numerous Durango businesses. Considering the remarkable sense of smell of bears, restaurants, fast food locales, lodging facilities, apartment and condominium complexes, mobile parks and other business establishments need to be extra vigilant and inventive in their care of trash, grease and food disposal.

Talk to your waste provider about modifying your dumpsters to make them more bear-proof or locate someone who can make the necessary changes. Modifications can include metal reinforcement or bars to prevent bears from opening lids and latching mechanisms such as metal rope, cables or carabiners.

Contact City Code Compliance at 385-2981 for information or recommendations on what your business can do to better reduce access to trash by bears.








RURAL     ^back to top

ELECTRIC FENCING
Electric fencing can be very effective in protecting orchards, valuable trees, beehives, grains, gardens, berries, pets, livestock and garbage. Committing to electric fencing from the start and doing it right can be very effective in deterring bears from various attractants.

Bears can be very difficult and challenging to keep out. They are thickly insulated, tremendously strong, intelligent and determined animals. Electric fencing should produce a minimum 5000 volts and frequent maintenance is needed to produce the desired results.

Temporary electric netting, portable electric fencing systems and even solar powered designs, are often used by livestock producers,outfitters, hunters, park campgrounds and horse groups.
Electric Fencing Suppliers

The DOW provides free electric fencing for the protection of agricultural resources. Check with the Division of Wildlife or Bear Smart Durango for further information.

BEEHIVES
Commit from the start to using electric fencing and do it right to protect bees, honey, beehives and equipment. Try to locate beehives away from natural bear protective cover and pathways and use elevated platforms for beehives. Avoid setting up beehives in early spring, when other natural bear foods are not yet abundant. State law allows producers to kill bears if they damage agricultural products, such as beehives.  click for more info


LIVESTOCK
Black bears generally do not pursue livestock, but special caution should be observed during birthing times. Consider confining livestock during calving and lambing seasons and use electric fencing. Locate calving and lambing areas well away from forest cover and natural pathways used by bears. Store all feed in a secure location or bear-proof containers and feed only amounts animals may consume in one feeding. Remove all carcasses promptly. The use of protective animals such as guard dogs is growing in popularity among ranchers practicing non-lethal wildlife management and can be very effective in deterring bears. Colorado statute 33-3-106 allows landowners to kill bears attacking livestock.  click for more info




NON-LETHAL BEAR MANAGEMENT   ^back to top

Communities have long baited bears into residential areas with food rewards and then punished "problem" bears with relocation or death for accepting an easy meal. Once these bears are removed, an opportunity has been created for other bears to move into this vacated habitat and the problem continues. Non-lethal Bear Management employs negative conditioning to modify undesirable bear behavior and re-instill a bears' natural wariness of humans without destroying the animal or compromising human safety.

This management concept sends a clear message that it is unacceptable for bears to approach people or their property and can be reinforced with the use of bear deterrents. Communities like Mammoth Lakes, CA and Whistler, BC, Canada have decided their level of tolerance toward bears and have established a clear set of rules to deal with any bear conflicts in a non-lethal manner.


DETERRENTS     ^back to top
Black bears do not seem to be deterred much by barking dogs or motion-sensitive lights, or become accustomed over time. However, wildlife officials in many communities have had some success using bear deterrents such as rubber bullets, bean bag rounds, cracker shells and flares and motion-activated sprinkler systems. The Wind River Bear Institute uses specially trained Karelian bear dogs to deter grizzly bears from residential areas.  click for more info


BEAR PEPPER SPRAY     ^back to top
Sprayed in the face of a charging bear at close range, an EPA-approved oil-based pepper spray containing oleoresin capsicum (a red pepper derivative) can be a very effective deterrent in a direct bear encounter. Bear pepper spray causes the membranes of the eyes, nose and lungs of a bear to swell and the result is a nearly total, yet temporary, loss of sight and severe restriction of breathing. The spray should last at least 6 seconds.

Bear pepper spray is not a substitute for common sense safety measures and vigilance and should never be used as a preventative measure, such as spraying on a tent. Always first allow for bears to leave the area and use bear pepper spray only in the event of an attack by an aggressive bear.
Bear Pepper Spray Suppliers


WILDLIFE ORDINANCES     ^back to top
City wildlife ordinances regulate the care and storage of trash, feeding of wildlife, wildlife-resistant trash containers, enclosures and structures and give wildlife officials the authority to issue citations for non-compliance. Snowmass Village, Aspen, Basalt, Telluride and Steamboat Springs are among several mountain towns in Colorado to have wildlife ordinances.
READ A SAMPLE WILDLIFE ORDINANCE


BLACK BEAR ENCOUNTERS     ^back to top

Almost all black bear encounters and injuries near homes involve food-conditioned bears. In the wild, encounters with predatory black bears (typically large adult males that see humans as prey) are extremely rare, accounting for 1 out of every 1,000 bear encounters. With an estimated population of 600,000 black bears in North America and the sheer number of people recreating and living in black bear habitat, the incidence of encounter is remarkably low.


INJURIES AND FATALITIES FROM     ^back to top
BLACK BEARS

Black bears injured more than 500 people between 1960 and 1980. Most black bear injuries occurred in national parks and can be attributed to human-habituated and food-conditioned bears. 90% of the injuries from black bears were minor in contrast to injuries from grizzly bears in which half were major.

Although black bears are normally rather tolerant of humans, they can be dangerous. There were 20 recorded deaths from black bears from 1900 through 1980. (Bees have killed 4,000 people in North America in the same time period). 90% of the black bear fatalities were from predatory black bears and 50% of these fatalities were people 18 years old or under.

Source: Stephen Herrero. Bear Attacks, Their Causes and Avoidance


IF YOU LIVE IN BLACK BEAR      ^back to top
HABITAT

  • Talk to your children about bears and how to act around them.


  • Make your property safe by removing all bear attractants.


  • Have a plan in case a bear is inside your home and keep bear pepper spray handy. Give a bear that is in your home an escape route by propping all doors open. Place a rock, for example, near all doors to do so.


  • Close all windows when you are gone or when cooking.


  • Be careful with food inside your home.


  • Never approach bears in your yard, always give bears an escape route and never crowd or harass bears.

IF YOU ENCOUNTER A BLACK BEAR   ^back to top
  • Give the bear an escape route and try to not block that route.


  • Back away slowly, always watching the bear.


  • It may be difficult under the circumstances, but speak to the bear in a normal voice.


  • Try and avoid direct eye contact, but watch the bear.


  • If the bear continues to advance towards you in an aggressive manner, toss something on the ground (a ballcap, walkman or daypack) to distract the bear, giving yourself an opportunity to slowly leave the area.


  • Look for any available weapon, in anticipation of a bear charge. Anything to hit a bear with, a rock, stick or binoculars for instance.


  • The vast majority of bear charges are bluffs. If a bear charges, hold your ground and if necessary, fight back! Strike at the head and face of the bear or use bear pepper spray. In contrast to advice for most grizzly bear encounters, do not play dead.


  • Do not run. Unless you are certain you can reach safety, your car for example.


  • Do not climb a tree. Black bears climb trees with great ease and commonly bite the hind feet of fleeing treed bears.








BEAR-PROOF LOCKER PHOTO BY BEARSAVER



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