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NEWS
posted 3/11/08
PAPA BEAR VIDEO ON ABC GOOD MORNING AMERICA
Ben Kilham, who raises and returns orphaned black bear cubs to the wild appeared on "Good Morning America" on March 7th. ABC's web site has a good article on Ben and his work with bears and a nice video segment. Also, watch for Ben's new film, A Man Among Bears, playing now on National Geographic.
SEE BEN KILHAM VIDEO
posted 3/11/08
WATCH A HIBERNATING BLACK BEAR
Check out Get Bear Smart Society's new live bear den cam and watch Rascal, a two year-old, once orphaned black bear, in real time in his den. Racal's spending the winter in an artificial den site in Montana. Cameras have been installed in the den so that you can watch his every move. He sleeps a lot, but watch carefully and you can see him take a breath (every 45 seconds or so). You'll notice that Rascal does move around in his den, as all bears do. Text courtesy: Get Bear Smart Society, Whistler, B.C.
CHECK OUT THE DEN CAM HERE
posted 2/07/08
LECTURE SERIES IN DURANGO
This presentation will cover black bear identification, biology, behavior, how the Vail Police Department responds to bear calls, Vail's wildlife ordinance and initial success, local regional and state statistics, residential and commercial bear-resistant garbage containers and dumpster enclosures.
about the speaker: Ryan Millbern has been a Peace Officer for 5 years as an Officer, Detective, Sergeant and is currently a K9 Officer. He is a current member of the International Association for Bear Research & Management, attendee at the 9th Annual Western States Bear Conference in Raton, NM, invited speaker to the 18th Annual International Conference on Bear Research and Management in Monterrey, Mexico, and a 2007 nominee for the International Association of Chiefs of Police Award of Excellence in Environmental Crimes, Enforcement, and Education. He is also head of the Town of Vail Ursine Mitigation and Management program and co-author of the new town wildlife protection ordinance.
hosts: Living with Wildlife Advisory Board of La Plata County and Bear Smart Durango
sponsors: City of Durango, Town of Vail, Durango Arts Center and The Leland House & Rochester Hotel
posted 9/19/07
LATEST NEWS ON FRUIT TREES
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.
FRUIT PICK-UP AND COLLECTION:
Turtle Lake Refuge. 247-8395
FRUIT DONATIONS:
Manna Soup Kitchen. 385-5095
posted 9/19/07
EMAIL US WITH TRASH STREWN BY BEARS ^back to top
The City of Durango has adopted some new policies to help deal with trash and bears. Residents can REPORT ANY TRASH RECEPTACLE ACCESSED BY BEARS WITHIN CITY LIMITS. This will be a huge help in limiting repeat trash offenders as two-strike violators will be required to sign up for bear-proof trash containers. This includes: residential trash cans, commercial dumpsters and round 300-gallon trash containers.
Please email the following information to report any trash violations, and we will forward to proper city staff.
SAMPLE REPORT: Must include: 1) date, 2) number on trash can, 3) street address and 4) any other pertinent information.
9/12
Can# 2455
1825 W. 2nd Ave.
can in alley behind green house
posted 8/09/07
HELP HAS ARRIVED! ^back to top
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Courtesy Derek Reich/Zooprax Productions & UnBearAble Bins
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posted 8/09/07
BEARS FEASTING ON LOCAL TRASH ^back to top
These photos were taken in the early mornings of 6/28, 7/2 and 7/6 before trash pick-up in various sections of town and show a large number of trash containers that had been raided by bears. There are also a few photos from 7/7, where a bear dragged some trash into a ditch behind a trailer park.
Feeding bears our trash never ends well for bears. We invite them into our residential areas with food and then punish them. Please, put trash out the morning of pick-up only and safely store your trash during the week, in a garage, shed, enclosure, your home or in a bear-proof trash container.
VIEW PHOTOS HERE
posted July 2007
VIEW OR PRINT OUR ONE-PAGE FLYER
FOR NEIGHBORHOODS AND SUBDIVISIONS ^back to top
This one-page flyer is available copyright-free for anyone to use that would care to distribute bear education materials in your neighborhood. It's perfect for neighbors that are leaving trash containers out, are not properly storing trash or have bird feeders up when bears are in the area. Feel free to print out this flyer and distribute however you'd like in your neighborhood.
1. DOWNLOAD FLYER (348 KB)
2. PRINT OUT ON BRIGHTLY-COLORED STOCK
3. DISTRIBUTE AS NEEDED
NOTE: The document below must be viewed as Adobe pdf file. Click on the Adobe Acrobat Reader icon below to obtain the free software if you do not already have a copy.
posted 2006
 CARE TO HELP? ^back to top
As we continue to expand our public outreach programs we greatly appreciate your financial support. Whether it's $25, $50, $100 or more, your gift will go a long way with Bear Smart Durango. When you are thinking about donating to wildlife-based organizations, think local. Bear Smart Durango will stretch your hard-earned dollars a long way in protecting the lives and well-being of bears and making ours a "Bear Smart Community."
You can simply download our membership Sign Up Form, or mail a check to: Bear Smart Durango, P.O. Box 2291, Durango, CO, 81302.
THANK YOU, MEMBERS! ^back to top
Bear Smart Durango would like to welcome the following new members and renewals. You make our efforts possible, so thank you! If we missed anyone, our sincerest apologies.
Diane Skinner, Rosalie Phillips, Todd McKane & Michelle Reott, Joe Lewandowski, Dave Rich, Sarah Burris, Allison Westfall, Nancy Stoffer, Marian Hamlen, Bob Inda, Gardenswartz, Susan Bryson, Patricia Rickey, Warren Holland, Bill Vana, Gretchen Wilson, Matt & Janet Kenna, Mary Shacklett, Ann Bond, Linda Lewis, Sheila Thompson, Diana Plante, Jon Sherer, Davida Millburn, Karen Carver, Ellen Venable, Aline Schwob, Greg Hoch, Pat Rustad, Tracey McInerney, Andrea Birkby, Barbara Shaw, Paula Van Buskirk, Sherry Walker, Kerrie Neet, Robin Wiles, Karen Meyer, Sam Kinnaird, Chris Latshaw and Holly Hagan, Mary Gaines, Sandra Miller, Bill Levy, Ecosphere Environmental Services, Cindy Dunbar, Pati and David Temple, Page Lindsay, Nina Mosko, Saul's Creek Engineering LLC, Judy Roelofs, The Chris Roach family, Bill Manning, John and Diana Lopez, Ed Zink, Jeanne Costello and Daniel Money, Gwen Lachelt, Dawn & Jeff Widen, Mark Pearson, Michelle and William Herringer, & Hermosa CableVision.
CALL THE DURANGO HERALD BEAR TRACKER! ^back to top
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Bear at Electra Lake hummingbird feeder by Rod Turner.
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Although the Herald's Bear Tracker is unscientific and rather informal, it can be a great resource for when bears are active in town and in what residential areas. So please feel free to call them with your bear sightings. You are by no means putting any bears at risk by doing so. Durango Herald Bear Tracker: 375-4566
DO YOU HAVE PHOTOS OR VIDEO? ^back to top
We try as much as possible to use photos and videos from area residents for our educational and promotional materials. We could always use more! If you have bear photos or video from the Durango area you'd wish to share, please contact us. All original photos and video will be promptly returned. You can email digital or scanned photos to bp@frontier.net
Or send photos or video by mail to:
Bear Smart Durango
P.O. Box 2291
Durango, CO 81302
(970) 749-4262
VIEW OR PRINT OUR BROCHURE ^back to top
View, download, or print the full-color Bear Smart Durango Brochure!
NOTE: The documents below must be viewed as Adobe pdf files. Click on the Adobe Acrobat Reader icon below to obtain the free software if you do not already have a copy.
BEAR SMART DURANGO: IN THE NEWS ^back to top
Residents urged to avoid bear confrontations
The Durango Herald
August 11, 2005
People who feed bears only cause more problems, organization says
The Durango Herald
August 11, 2005
Bear aware: Hide your garbage, hibernation is over
The Durango Herald
April 14, 2005
Ready or not: Bears starting annual binge
The Durango Herald
August 13, 2004
Bear Smart Week and programs dedicated to education
The Durango Herald
August 11, 2004
Durango gears up for bear season: Ample food supply causes fewer conflicts, but more vigilance needed
The Durango Telegraph
August 5, 2004
Guarding against bears
The Durango Herald
July 10, 2004
Springtime ritual: Bears back in town
The Durango Herald
June 17, 2004
Durangoans air concerns for bears
The Durango Herald
July 30, 2003
Guard your trash, the bears are back in town
The Durango Herald
May 16, 2003
Looming bear season sparks awareness campaign
The Durango Herald
April 27, 2003
Please check back again for more information, products, resources, updates, bear news and more! If you have any ideas for how this website could better serve the community of Durango and the surrounding area, feel free to submit your suggestions to bp@frontier.net
ENGINEER MOUNTAIN PHOTO BY BRANSON REYNOLDS
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