The importance of having a seat at the table.

Problem: In many cities across Colorado, there is a distrust between community members who want to protect bears and wildlife managers who relocate and euthanize bears. In addition, city officials may lack understanding of the extent of the problem and the availability of solutions. Thus a blame and victim mindset grows, in which the community keeps bear sightings from officials for fear of a bear being killed. Unfortunately this increases the chance of a bear becoming habituated to town and becoming a “nuisance bear.”

Solution: Take an empowered position, in which the community creates an organized voice for the bears. Work with city and state officials, establish common goals, create understanding on how bears are managed and how the city and community can work together to prevent a crisis , in which a CPW officer has to handle a bear in town. With a focus on bear protection, a community voice is invaluable in the discussion of bear management.

Case Study: Boulder Bear Coalition meets quarterly with representatives from Code Enforcement, City Planning, Animal Protection and Colorado Parks and Wildlife. With the goal of keeping bears out of town, discussions center around how each group is contributing to this goal and brainstorming new ways to keep bears out of town.