It's fairly safe to say that the more we gobble up good, quality bear habitat the more likely we are to experience increases in bear and human conflict. (Do we have more tornados now than in the past, or do we simply have more homes and people in the paths of tornados now?) Bears and people both like to inhabit the same habitats and maps created by the GIS Department of La Plata County easily depict how growth in our area has, rapidly in recent years, placed residential areas in some really good bear habitat.
See a progression of the maps here.
Bear researcher Tom Beck has said, "Southwest Colorado has some of the best black bear habitat in the lower 48 states. We've taken really good bear habitat, and made it great bear habitat, with the addition of homes and the subsequent human foods that come with that."
Special thanks to Robby Overfield and Rob Bergstrom at La Plata County for the creation of these maps showing growth in outlying areas of the county. Red indicates new development.
Bear researcher Tom Beck has said, "Southwest Colorado has some of the best black bear habitat in the lower 48 states. We've taken really good bear habitat, and made it great bear habitat, with the addition of homes and the subsequent human foods that come with that."
Special thanks to Robby Overfield and Rob Bergstrom at La Plata County for the creation of these maps showing growth in outlying areas of the county. Red indicates new development.
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