A flurry of black bear sightings since early June at an Aspen-area campground, punctuated by a bruin ransacking a tent Monday, prompted the U.S. Forest Service to impose temporary restrictions on campers Tuesday.
For an indefinite period of time, and likely through Aug. 24 — when the USA Pro Cycling Challenge rolls into town — Difficult Campground users are prohibited from using tents and soft-sided trailers or campers.
The 47-spot campground is located off of Colorado 82, 6 miles east of Aspen, and just off the route of the bike race. The campground is sold out for next Wednesday’s leg of the race, which starts in Gunnison and finishes by taking riders up and over Independence Pass into downtown Aspen.
Officials made the call after a bear plowed through a tent sometime between 4:30 and 7 p.m. Monday. The tent was unoccupied and its owners were in Aspen at the time, officials said. A nearby camper heard the tent being riffled through and alerted the campground host.
And about a week ago, a black bear visited a Difficult Campground tent in which one person was sleeping, said Perry Will, area wildlife manager with the state Division of Wildlife.
The camper’s “squawking” spooked the bear, Will said.
Reports of black bear sightings at Difficult, which has an abundant supply of serviceberries — bears love to feast on them — date to early June, said Phil Nyland, district wildlife biologist for the White River National Forest. He called the “escalating series of incidents” with bears the catalyst for the ban.
Nyland and Will said the campground host reported there were no signs of food left in the destroyed tent, but Nyland said that “it’s difficult to say that bear didn’t associate that tent with food.”
Even so, Will noted that near the tent were two trash bags, left outside, containing Hershey’s candy-bar wrappers and other enticing items for bears. The bear also had its way with the trash bags, Will said.
“When they show aggression like that it’s probably best to take precaution,” he said.
Nyland and Will said campers aren’t helping the situation. As has been the case in past summers, some campers are not stowing their food away when they’re not using it. There are food containers on- site at Difficult Campground, or the food can be stored in the campers’ cars.
“What has me concerned is the lack of compliance we’re getting at Difficult Campground,” Nyland said.
The Forest Service said other Colorado 82 campgrounds east of Aspen such as Weller, Lincoln and Lostman are still open to tents and soft-sided shells. But for now, Difficult is off-limits to such camping.
“You can sleep in your Yugo if you want to at Difficult,” Nyland said, “just nothing soft.”
