What is the city doing to manage black bear and mountain lion issues? How do we avoid conflicts in residential areas?
An interagency working group was formed in 2003 to enhance public education and investigate management options to reduce potential conflicts with bears in residential areas, with particular focus on the neighborhoods west of Broadway. The Colorado Division of Wildlife and city staff has engaged in extensive community outreach and education efforts concerning bears for a number of years. Based on the experiences of 2003, including the necessary destruction of a bear by the Division of Wildlife, those efforts were assessed and refined during 2004. A city staff team has been working to enhance educational efforts and evaluate management alternatives and the bear management practices of other jurisdictions. The Interagency Bear Team has developed and distributed brochures that outline steps that residents can take to avoid conflicts. The team, with support from trained volunteers, has provided education to residents on bears and mountain lions through neighborhood meetings, meetings with t
