Community Bear Organizations

We are not alone in finding ways to create a healthier and safer co-existence between bears and people. Here a few examples of organizations that were formed to decrease human bear conflicts:

Living With Bears: Wealth of information on how to decrease human-bear conflict

Durango, Co: Bear Smart Durango
Lake Tahoe, California: Bear League
British Columbia: Bear Smart
Estes Park Colorado: Bear Education Task Force

Info about Black Bears: North American Bear Center

Info on bear-canisters: montemlife.com/bear-canister-basics

On-going and Past Studies on Black Bears

Black bears are notoriously difficult to study. They typically stay away from people, except when it comes to easy food, especially during pre-hibernation (early September – mid-November) in which bears will consume up to 20,000 calories a day.

Durango, Colorado
A 5-year study began in 2011 in Durango to study the problems of bears and trash.
Durango Herald, DOW to study bears, humans

Aspen, Colorado
A 5-year study to better understand bear behavior and trash issues was recently concluded. The preliminary results show that  “An essential key to reduce the number of bear-related conflicts for the residents of Aspen and surrounding areas is to make sure garbage is secure at all times.”

Articles written by Doctorate Student who conducted the 5 Year Aspen Study
1.  Stochasticity in Natural Forage Production Affects Use of Urban Areas by Black Bears: Implications to Management of Human-Bear Conflicts; January 08, 2014
2. The Carrot or the Stick? Evaluation of Education and Enforcement as Management Tools for Human-Wildlife Conflicts; January 12, 2011