Conservative Libertarian Outpost

It is indeed that time again folks! If you are a Boulder granola crunching chai swilling anti hunter then please, support your local EMS! Feed the bears, by hand. Kiss the bears, on their noses, and do it all on film! In any case, the Colorado Division of Wildlife has put together a lot of very good information. Children will especially like the links to photos.

With the awakening of bears across Colorado, comes a new suite of tools available to the public from the Division of Wildlife (DOW).  Living with bears in Colorado is a new web page filled with materials that those who care about bears can use in their community, at the campsite, or on the trail to encourage responsible stewardship.

Bears that get comfortable being in close proximity to people are often more likely to pose a threat to human safety.  Every year, the DOW must take on the difficult task of putting down bears that have been habituated to human-provided food.  This can be avoided if all people practice and encourage ‘bear aware’ behaviors in their area.

Since human behavior is the key, the DOW has created downloadable pieces that can be utilized in areas where bears are known to frequent.  Homeowners or renters in bear country can employ:

Living with Bears brochure – explains in detail how people affect bear behavior

Bearproofing your home – a one-page handout that walks you through the necessary steps

Keep Bears Wild pledge – a written promise to help Colorado’s bears that gets you a window decal to demonstrate your commitment

Attracting birds, not bears – a one-page handout that illustrates responsible bird feeding

Bear resistant trash containers – a one-page guide on where to purchase

Hikers and campers can benefit from:

Camping and hiking in bear country – a step-by-step guide to being conscientious outdoors

Bear Encounters – what to do if you encounter a bear

And of course, children, our most dedicated bear benefactors, can enjoy:

Black bear profile – highlights the biology of bears in Colorado

Black bear challenge – an interactive game to test kids’ knowledge of bruins

Colorado Wildlife Company’s Bears – an article on bears

Be Bear Aware activity booklet – a coloring book filled with natural history

Image database – a place to search for pictures of bears

In addition, the Living with bears in Colorado web page provides some information on ‘Bear Aware’ teams—trained local members of the community who help encourage responsible behavior in their own backyards by helping neighbors learn how to bearproof, provide information about bears in the area and educate about bears in Colorado.

“We hope these new tools will move Coloradoans past knowing about enticing bears to doing something about it,” said Lisa Evans, northeast region education coordinator.  “If we work together to bearproof the homes and businesses in bear country, we can greatly reduce damage caused by bears and help prevent the unnecessary destruction of many bears every summer.”

For more information about Division of Wildlife go to: http://wildlife.state.co.us.

Tags: anti hunting, black bears, Colorado Division of Wildlife, Conservation

This entry was posted on June 20, 2008 at 23:10 and is filed under Editorial, Opinion, Education, Local Politics Colorado, News, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.