The desperate situation facing Colorado’s mountain black bears is sad indeed.
A dire shortage of wild-grown food has prompted these world-class foragers to find easier marks to fill their bellies. The unsecured garbage cans and even the homes of Aspen have turned into a bear buffet, creating an increasingly dangerous situation.
We were glad to see that Pitkin County commissioners took the matter seriously last week, passing an emergency ordinance that increases fines to as much as $1,000 for leaving garbage cans open and not using bear-proof receptacles.
However, it’s a shame that bear laws with meaningful penalties hadn’t reached Aspen until August, allowing the animals to come to depend on Aspen’s refuse for sustenance. Vail and Snowmass Village haven’t had nearly the bear problems, wildlife officials say, because of strict enforcement of longstanding rules against unsecure garbage.
The Colorado Division of Wildlife has had to kill seven dangerous bears in the Aspen area this year and relocate nearly a dozen. While Aspen and Pitkin County, like many mountain areas, long have had ordinances requiring bear-proof garbage cans, enforcement was more relaxed.
Enforcement was driven by complaints, fines were lower and first-time offenders got off with a warning. The new law sets a $350 fine for a first offense, $500 for a second and $1,000 for a third, and law enforcement will be proactively looking for violations. If the unfolding tragedy doesn’t get the attention of local residents, the fines ought to.
Regardless of how carefully Aspen area residents now follow the law, in some ways the damage is done. Even if every Aspen resident buttons up their garbage, it’s unlikely the bears will quickly change their patterns.
These bears have been hungry and desperate since a June frost decimated the berry crop. And the situation is destined to get worse as bears begin eating in overdrive to prepare for hibernation. Acorns that usually are a dietary mainstay for bears largely have fallen victim to an ongoing drought.
As the days grow shorter and their calorie needs increase, the bears are going to return to what had been a reliable source of food.
We hope mountain residents will be extra careful as summer turns into fall. The potential for a tragic encounter between humans and bears has increased. It’s incumbent upon local residents to take every precaution to ensure it doesn’t come to pass.
