Colorado To Update High Country Plan For Bears
GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4) - The Roaring Fork Valley has been the epicenter for bear encounters with people, and now state officials want to hear from the public on what to do about it at meeting Wednesday evening in Glenwood Springs.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife is updating its plan on how to manage the bear population. There's likely nowhere in Colorado where that's more important that in the Roaring Fork Valley.
"I would definitely call it Ground Zero. We have more bear-human conflicts here in my area, which is Area 8 around the Glenwood Springs area," said Perry Will, CPW Area Wildlife Manager.
The area is natural bear habitat and humans have made it their home too. Over the past few years Aspen and Glenwood Springs have seen a record number of bear interactions with humans.
"It kind of flip flops from area to area once in a while, but I guess the common denominator is a poor forage year," Will said.
Now Colorado Parks and Wildlife is working on updating its plan for the bear population in the area.
"We have a very robust bear population, and more bears than we've ever had."
Right now between 60 and 85 bears are hunted every year. The new plan could increase that number, but that likely won't solve the problem.
"Years ago we didn't have these issues. I don't think we had the bear population, but now we do," Will said. "We try everything from education on with these bears to try and resolve and reduce our conflicts."
The only thing the state can't control is the bear's food source in the wild.
"They'd rather be out foraging naturally."
RELATED: Lawmakers Seek Changes To Colorado Bear-Hunting Season
Another issue with the bear population is sitting in the state Capitol. A bill has been introduced to change the timing of bear hunting season. It would start the season a month earlier and allow the hunt to happen when bears are their most active.
