Feed them and they will die!

Securing trash to protect bears: community input needed on options

In recent years, bears have become more reliant on trash as a food source. By leaving their natural habitat to scavenge for food, bears are unintentionally putting themselves in danger.  Securing trash and compost storage will help protect bears, increase public safety, and allow bears and humans to better co-exist.

The City of Boulder is asking for the community’s input on options to make food waste less accessible to bears. Community members are encouraged to complete a survey at www.surveymonkey.com/s/bears-trash to help evaluate potential options for the location, storage and enforcement of trash regulations.

Many more bears will be killed unless more measures are taken

The city will also host a public meeting from 5 to 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 9, in the West Senior Center (909 Arapahoe Ave.) to get community input on options for securing trash in Boulder.

At its Oct. 15, 2013, meeting, City Council received a staff update on bears and trash in the urban interface.  This update was, in part, due to community and council concern related to four bears that were killed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife because of public safety concerns.

At the meeting, council identified securing trash from bears as a priority and staff committed to developing options that will be presented for consideration in early 2014.  The community’s input will help shape the options delivered to City Council in January 2014.

For the most up-to-date information, visit the Securing Trash to Protect Bears Web page.

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