Bears in trash: June 2011

GPS mapping of reports of bears in trash within city limits for the month of June 2011. (Click on photos for larger views).

Bear Smart Durango Seeks Educators

Bear Smart Durango is seeking applicants for a part-time, seasonal, paid education specialist who can provide classroom lessons on black bears and living with wildlife to elementary school students. This position will begin at the start of the fall school year; volunteer opportunities are available for the summer as well.

For more information please contact Bryan Peterson at (970) 749-4262 or e-mail bp@frontier.net.

Note: photos courtesy of Bow Valley WildSmart, Canmore, Alberta, CAN.

Bear Botany Walk in Perins!

Bear Smart Durango is thrilled to team up with Eve Gilmore and the San Juan Four Corners Native Plant Society for a Bear Botany walk in Perins Peak SWA this Thursday, June 16 from 7-8PM. The walk is easy and attendees should leave with a better understanding of spring plants, black bears and the native foods they rely on to survive in the wild.

Attendees should meet by 6:30PM at the SE corner of Albertson's parking lot (map below) - for carpooling to the trailhead. Long pants are highly recommended.

This is a FREE event. Contact Bryan at Bear Smart at 970-749-4262 or bp@frontier.net for more information.

Website for "Living with Bears"

PixyJack Press has a new website for the book, Living with Bears: A Practical Guide to Bear Country, by author

Linda Masterson.

Living with Bears is the ultimate hands-on guide to living responsibly and playing safely anywhere bears call home. It's a book that's fun to read, easy to reference, and packed with practical information, useful tips, and advice from bear experts all over the continent.

"We recommend Living with Bears to all our property owners, and we sell it in the office. It makes it much easier to get people to understand what they need to do to prevent bear problems." — Jim Tiffin, Crystal Lakes Homeowner's Association, Colorado.

There's even a chapter in the book about Bear Smart Durango!

We have a number of the books available for sale and if you'd like a copy, or copies, let us know.

Bear expert Rachel Mazur at Smiley on May 17

Bear Smart Durango hosts an evening slideshow presentation with bear researcher Rachel Mazur, a recognized expert in black bear ecology and management from Reno, Nevada.

Rachel Mazur: Black bear facts, figures, findings, and some really cute cub photos

• Tues. May 17

• 7PM

Smiley Theater, 1309 E. Third Ave.

$7 for adults / $5 for children under 12

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Doors open at 6PM

• Free Ska beer

• Live music provided by Group Shower

• Door prizes

This event was made possible with the generous support of Ska Brewing Company, Zuberfizz, The Smiley Building, Gardenswartz Outdoors and Maria’s Bookshop.

More info? Contact Bear Smart at bp@frontier.net or 749-4262.

Dr. Rachel Mazur is a recognized expert in black bear ecology and management. Her research into aversive conditioning, social behavior, food storage, and foraging patterns has been published in scientific journals and is regularly featured in the media. She is also an award-winning author of the children's book, "If You Were A Bear." Rachel has also worked as a wildlife manager for over a decade, successfully reducing human-bear incidents by over 50% in high-profile areas of the western U.S.

bear film on city channel 10

The wonderful film, "Bears of Sequoia" airs on City Channel 10 through April 12. The film features bear researcher Rachel Mazur, guest speaker for an upcoming Bear Smart Durango educational event in May. Air times are:

Mon - 8:30 AM, 10:30 AM, 12:30 PM, 2:30 PM, 4:30 PM


Tue- 8:30 AM, 10:30 AM, 4:30 PM


2009 CDOW hair snag study

The preliminary report for the ongoing Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW) hair snag study entitled, "Non-Invasive DNA-Based Black Bear Density Estimates in Colorado - 2009," may be found on google docs, here.

Survey sites for the study were located near Tinidad and Glenwood Springs. The photo below, from the Northern Divide Grizzly Bear Project, is representational of a hair snag survey location, only.