Bear Safety Awareness: Protect Yourself, Your Family, and Our Wildlife

Keeping Our Community and Wildlife Safe

Black bears are a natural and important part of life in the San Luis Valley. Seeing one can be exciting, but it also reminds us that everyone has a responsibility to protect both the community and local wildlife.

Most conflicts involving bears can be prevented.

Bears that repeatedly find food near homes or businesses can begin to associate people with easy meals. A food-conditioned bear may lose its normal fear of humans. When this happens, Colorado Parks and Wildlife may need to relocate the bear or, in serious situations, euthanize it.

The most effective way to protect bears is to make sure they are never rewarded with human food or other attractants.

Six Simple Ways to Help Keep Bears Wild

Secure garbage and recycling.
Keep trash indoors or inside a bear-resistant container until the morning of collection whenever possible.
Never intentionally feed bears.
Pet food, birdseed, livestock feed, unsecured garbage, and other food left outside can attract bears.
Take down bird feeders when bears are active.
Birdseed contains a large number of calories and can quickly become a regular food source for bears.
Clean grills and outdoor cooking areas.
Thoroughly clean grills, smokers, outdoor kitchens, and related equipment after each use.
Keep your neighbors informed.
Let nearby residents know when bears are active so that everyone can remove potential attractants.
Report concerning bear activity to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Reports help wildlife officials track bear activity and determine the appropriate response.

A Community Effort

Unsecured trash cans, dumpsters, bird feeders, and outdoor pet food can draw bears into residential areas. A single accessible food source may cause a bear to return repeatedly and can create problems throughout an entire neighborhood.

Community members can help by:

Waiting until the morning of collection to place garbage at the curb whenever possible.
Keeping commercial dumpsters closed and properly latched.
Making sure short-term rental guests receive clear instructions about garbage storage and bear safety.

Preventing human-bear conflicts requires cooperation throughout the community.

Looking Ahead

The Town of Crestone is considering additional ways to reduce conflicts between people and bears through public education and improved bear-resistant infrastructure.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife offers grant opportunities that may help communities purchase bear-resistant dumpsters, support residential bear-proofing projects, and implement other long-term measures that protect residents and wildlife.

If You Encounter a Bear

Most bears are simply attempting to move through the area while avoiding people.

When you encounter a bear:

Give it plenty of room.
Do not approach it.
Do not attempt to take photographs at close range.
Keep pets controlled.
Report bears that repeatedly enter neighborhoods, access garbage, or exhibit unusually bold behavior to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Learn More

Additional bear-safety information, educational materials, and reporting resources are available from the following organizations:

A fed bear is often a dead bear.

Securing food and other attractants protects our neighbors, our property, and the bears that live in this area.

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Download the Bear Aware, Crestone flyer