Our Mission:
The Boulder Bear Coalition (BBC) implements preventative measures to reduce human-bear conflicts to keep local black bears wild and free and the Boulder community safe.
BBCs main driver has been to approach bear management from the bottom up. Rather than relying on wildlife officers to respond to a crisis of a bear in town, BBC focuses on educating and empowering the community to keep bears from coming into town (by reducing attractants, increasing deterrents) so that wildlife officers do not need to handle bears in town. A community is built on shared values. Wildlife is something that most residents in Boulder value, thus BBC was born from a need to create a cohesive understanding of what we can do, in clear steps, to protect bears and how we can effectively communicate this information.
How to Protect Local Black Bears:
#1 Secure Your Trash
Bears are in town because they are hungry! Please secure your trash by:
1. using a bear resistant trash cart
2. securing your trash cart in a secure area until time of trash pickup
#2 Report Trash Violations:
All businesses and residents west of Broadway are required to use bear resistant trash carts to prevent bears from getting into trash. If you see trash strewn or cans not latched, use Inquire App to report the violation -it could save a bear’s life!
#3 Take down birdfeeders
Take bird feeders down between April and November. Even bird seed that falls on the ground is an attractant to bears. Bears will eat during the day, and love hummingbird feeders.
We suggest planting flowers to attract birds.
#4 Harvest your fruit
For help harvesting fruit, contact Community Fruit Rescue
Sierra Magazine article about BBC’s role in bear management in Boulder:
Boulder Bear Coalition, a video summary: