Durango Bear Smart volunteer Diane Morazan tag a trash can put out the night beofre trash day in a bear prone neighborhood on Tuesday afternoon while another volunteer, Sarah Heath, looks on. The volunteers put the friendly “citations” out to remind residents of proper etiquette during bear season./Photo by David Halterman

by Missy Votel

Durango may be headed into the dog days of summer, but a concerted effort is afoot to keep it from going to the bears, as well.

Due to a marked increase in bear activity this summer, Bear Smart Durango, a city-funded public education effort, is stepping up its attempts to reduce visits from the hungry bruins. Starting this week, volunteers from the organization will be hitting local alleyways in search of trash cans that are put out before trash day. The offending cans will then be tagged with a bright orange “citation,” warning residents of the potential pitfalls of such practices and offering tips on not inviting unwanted guests over for a garbage buffet.

“It’s sort of like a ‘Howdy Partner’ notice, a gentle reminder to residents that bears are out,” said Bear Smart Director Bryan Peterson. “Trash is the No. 1 thing people can do to help reduce the problem.”

Peterson said unsecured garbage is one of the biggest attractants for the beasts, who often hit up the same spot repeatedly. Other big lures include bird feeders and pet food left outside. Right now, bears are consuming about 2,500 calories a day, but in a few weeks, they will shift into hyperfeed mode in preparation for hibernation, devouring about 25,000 calories a day. He said bird feeders are especially alluring because one 7-pound tube of birdseed can contain as many as 11,000 calories.

“Just hitting up two 7-pound tubes a day will fulfill their daily nutritional requirement,” he said.

However, Peterson said a little prevention can go a long way. Steps such as putting bird feeders out of reach or securing trash in a garage or shed and only putting it out the morning of pickup can deter bears greatly. He points to an experiment in Payson, Ariz., where half the town put out trash cans the night before pickup, and half the town put out trash the morning of. “Those who put trash out the night before had a 70 percent chance of being visited by bears, whereas those who didn’t only had a 2 percent chance,” he said.

Peterson said the danger in attracting bears is that the animals can become habituated to humans, which can spell disaster for people and the animals. “When bears are used to feeding off trash, they tend to become more bold and aggressive,” he said. “To get more, they start breaking into homes and cars, and basically, they’re no longer scared of people, and that’s when the problems come in.”

The Colorado Division of Wildlife has a two-strike rule with problem bears. Those deemed a potential threat will be trapped, sedated, tagged and relocated. However, if the same bear is caught again, it will be put down.

Joe Lewandowski, a spokesman for the DOW in Durango, said so far this year, two bears have been put down in Durango along with one near Dolores. Although sometimes necessary, he said euthanasia is the DOW’s last resort. “If a bear causes damage to property and is obviously aggressive, it’s going to do it again, and we need to step in,” he said. “But putting a bear down is very difficult for the officers to do; it’s not something they like to do.”

A bear zeroes in on a birdfeeder at a north durango home. REsidents are reminded to keep trash secure and put bird feeders out of reach from bears./Photo by Karen Meyer, Courtesy Bear Smart Durango

Joe Lewandowski, a spokesman for the DOW in Durango, said so far this year, two bears have been put down in Durango along with one near Dolores. Although sometimes necessary, he said euthanasia is the DOW’s last resort. “If a bear causes damage to property and is obviously aggressive, it’s going to do it again, and we need to step in,” he said. “But putting a bear down is very difficult for the officers to do; it’s not something they like to do.”

He said the first two bears weren’t given the benefit of the two-strike rule based upon their overtly aggressive behavior. The first bear reportedly crawled up the outside of the Silver Pick, near Purgatory, and climbed into a second-story window at the Sow’s Ear restaurant. “It broke into the kitchen and pretty much ate up the inventory,” Lewandowski said. The second bear was put down after it broke into two houses within the same 12-hour period. “We didn’t even give them a strike because they obviously knew they could get food by breaking into houses, and relocation wouldn’t help,” he said.

Such was also the case with the third bear, which was trapped near Durango and relocated in the forest outside of Dolores. DOW regulations stipulate that problem bears be relocated at least 50 miles from the area where they are trapped. However, oftentimes, the bears either find their way back or find other easy sources of food. “This one broke into a house between Dolores and Durango,” said Lewandowski. “Twenty years ago, there was plenty of open country to relocate them. Now it’s hard to find a spot that’s remote enough that they’re not going to find a home or campground and get into trouble.”

He said because of such instances, relocation is often the last resort for problem bears. The first recourse is for DOW officers to pay homeowners a visit and point out areas where they can alleviate the problem. He also said the DOW will supply rubber buckshot as well as the instructions for using it if problems persist. Lewandowski said the DOW also is evaluating hitting people where it hurts: in the pocketbook. “It’s within our regulations to serve citations, and if people are habitual offenders, we’re looking at fines,” he said. “We don’t want to do that, but we’ve got to get people the message.”

He said it’s only when all else fails that bears will be tagged and relocated. “We really don’t like to trap bears,” he said. “For starters, it’s very difficult and labor intensive, and secondly, you’re not even guaranteed that you’ll get the right bear. It’s also very stressful on the animal.”

Peterson believes that relocation is not always the answer. According to a study by the Nevada Fish and Game Department, between 85 percent and 90 percent of relocation efforts fail. “All it does is temporarily solve the problem at that location,” he said. “You can treat one bear episode, but you will have 100 more until you clean up your act.”

Which is where he is hopeful the efforts of the Bear Smart tags, which will be distributed across the county, will help. “It’s a fairly complicated issue. It’s going to take the community pulling together to resolve this.” Ultimately, the responsibility in avoiding conflict lies not with the DOW, but with people, Peterson concluded. “You can’t teach a dead bear how to stay out of trouble.” •