Non-hunter bear mortality for Area 15

The graphs above show Non-hunter bear mortality (bears killed outside of hunting) in our area, Area 15 of the Colorado Division of Wildlife. The DOW records bear information in DAU's (Data Analysis Units) for tracking hunting and non-hunting mortality. It's a little difficult to say what comprises "our area" as La Plata County is made up of two different DAU's. So all numbers reflect Area 15, although most incidents occurred in the greater Durango area.

Non-hunter bear mortality includes: bears killed by wildlife officials as nuisance or conflict bears, shot by landowner, hit by vehicle, electrocuted, and any found mortality.

The results of bad natural bear food seasons are easily identified. The drought seasons of 2001 and 2002 and the massive food failure resulting from late frosts in 2007. (Data courtesy: Colorado Division of Wildlife).

books & bears fundraiser at The Mail Room

Looking for the perfect gift for kids or teachers? The Mail Room is taking part in a fundraiser for Bear Smart Durango. Located at 10 Town Plaza, The Mail Room is selling a children's book, "We Are Bears," by authors Molly Grooms and Lucia Guarnotta, as well as adorable stuffed animals called Barney Bears.

A portion of the proceeds will benefit Bear Smart Durango, allowing the organization to continue working to reduce bear and human conflict in our area. For more information, call the Mail Room.

The Mail Room

10 Town Plaza (next to Kroegers)

(970) 385-4494

2008 bear & human conflict maps

These maps (click to enlarge) were created from data collected in 2008 by the Colorado Division of Wildlife, Bear Smart Durango and the City of Durango's Refuse Enforcement Officer. GIS maps were generously provided by Rob Bergstrom with the La Plata County GIS Department. Thank you so much Rob for your expertise and assistance.  Data was compiled and entered into Excel by Bear Smart Durango.

Data includes bear sightings (bear(s) seen) and incidents (bears in trash, in human foods, broke into homes, etc.) in the city and county. It does not include bear management or non-hunter bear mortality data, (euthanization, capture and relocation, predation or bear-vehicle mortality). Absent from maps this year are calls to the Herald Bear Tracker, as those records were not preserved. That has been remedied.

There were 228 total reports, down from 1,271 in 2007. Of the 228 reports, 132 were in the city and 96 in the county. 121 (or 53%) were directly trash-related.

Acknowledgements: Colorado Division of Wildlife, Bear Smart Durango, City of Durango and La Plata County.

Note: These maps are for visual representation only and care must be taken in analyzing and interpreting the information contained.

bear smart imax film & food fundraiser

Bear Smart Durango hosts a heart-warming Valentine's fundraiser with the award-winning IMAX film "BEARS" on Friday, Feb. 13th at 7PM at the Smiley Theater. Come at 6PM for a pre-screening chili (meat or veggie) & chip reception courtesy of Carver Brewing and Zuberfizz. Bring a bear, any bear, be it soft, fuzzy, hard, toy, a painting or photo for our Bear Gift Sale with all proceeds benefitting Bear Smart Durango. (No live bears, please). 

Fri. Feb. 13

Smiley Theater

6 PM: food and bear sale

7 PM: IMAX BEARS film

$12 adults ($10 film only)

$7 children ($5 film only)

Tickets available in advance at Maria's Bookshop, Magpies Newsstand Cafe and Southwest Sound.

 

This event is sponsored by: AJ Construction, LeGrand Construction, Tile Art, Advanced Concrete Solutions and Roseberry's Plumbing & Heating and is presented by Mara Legrand and Skydancer Productions.

Special thanks to: Carver Brewing, Zuberfizz, New Ice, City Market and Primesco Productions. 

About the film: The fourth and most anticipated giant-screen film produced by the National Wildlife Federation, "BEARS" explores the mythical past and fragile future of some of the most misunderstood predators on the planet. From polar bears in the arctic tundra to grizzlies in Alaska and black bears in Montana, "BEARS" presents these enterprising omnivores in the full glory of their natural habitats and depicts the challenges facing each species.

county passes bear & trash ordinance

On December 18, 2008, the La Plata County Board of Commissioners passed a wildlife-resistant container ordinance. This ordinance, proposed by the Living with Wildlife Advisory Board, provides county residents the option to minimize wildlife conflicts with trash by either placing trash in receptacles between the hours of 5:30 a.m. and 9 p.m. on the day of pick up or by purchasing bear-resistant trash containers.

A copy of the ordinance is available here. 

An article on the ordinance in The Durango Herald can be found here. 

bear-resistant dumpsters

Here are some photo examples of wildlife-resistant (there's really no such thing as bear-proof) dumpsters. These dumpsters have metal lids and latching mechanisms that don't allow bears access. To upgrade your dumpsters to be wildlife-resistant or to order wildlife-resistant dumpsters, contact your local waste provider. 

For an enlarged version of these photos, click here or on the photos to view in Picasa. Click on the green arrow to begin slideshow.

bad idea. bad execution.

Sometimes, a bears behavior requires that it be moved (or relocated) in some instances. Unfortunately, not all relocations of bears go as planned. (Many of you have probably seen these photos of a wildlife official being attacked during a release by an annoyed grizzly bear that was rather unceremoniously dumped from a culvert trap). 

Here is video from the Craig Kilborn Show of one such flawed effort in Missoula, MT to tranquilize and remove a bear from a tree in 2007. WARNING: not for the faint of heart. The bear ended up ok, (at least in this stage of the process), but perhaps it may have been better to just leave the bear alone to remove itself from the tree on its own.

After seeing examples such as this, I'm amazed that black bears don't haul off and whack us humans more often. They display far more tolerance then we do.