[bouldercouncilhotline] Hotline: Storage of garbage in areas frequented by bears.

[cmosupport at bouldercolorado.gov]

Sender: Cowles, Macon

The euthanization of a male bear recently and the frequent appearance of other bears elsewhere that will surely lead to more of them having to be put down is a problem that we must deal with before the Fall of 2014. A resident on the Hill has given me permission
 to share the letter that he sent to Council about this subject this morning. The letter enclosed the attached photo of the sow and her 2 cubs in the writer's back year, where they have lived all summer.


Macon Cowles


Boulder City Council members:

Yesterday was very difficult for me and my family [on] 14th St
(between Baseline and Cascade).  Our 28 lb wheaton terrier charged the
well known bear sow with two cubs in our yard at about noon.  The sow
ripped off her collar and put a claw into her torso.  She's ok but still quite
agitated, and perhaps the emotional damage will be lasting.   But this
issue is not about our dog.  The issue is that our residents are feeding
the bears with their trash and this is endangering the bears.  Those of us
in bear prone areas of the city MUST use bear proof containers for trash
cans maintained outdoors.   And the only way to make this happen is to
enact strict bear proof container laws.

The presence of bears in our University Hill neighborhood has increased
dramatically over the last ten years.  For many years there were
occasional incidences of trash cans overturned in the alleys.  Then more
regular occurrences began about 5 years ago.  Then three years ago bears
began visiting our front yard, evidenced by several large piles of scat
over the course of the summer.  Last summer they began entering our 6' to 7'
high fenced back yard again leaving evidence of scat several times.
This summer they were regularly present and sleeping in our yard during
the daytime.  The trash cans in our alley have been overturned almost
every single night since the beginning of July this year.

Two years ago we finally signed up for a bear proof container from
Western Disposal.  We have not had a single incident of trash rummaging
by bears since.  They've tried to get in - claw and teeth marks prove it
- but they have never been successful.  The containers work.  The $10
per month fee is well worth it, even just to eliminate constant clean up.

But only two of the residents along our alley have these containers.
All other containers are overturned virtually every night.  While we
don't have to clean up our own spilled trash anymore, the issue is much
more serious than that.  Because trash is so readily available as a food
source, the bears cannot help themselves but to eat it.  And now they
don't even bother going home back to the mountains - they live in the
neighborhood full time. This presents a serious safety threat to our
pets - and to our children.  My middle school kids could have easily
come home from school, walked in our front gate and surprised the
slumbering sow, activated her protective instincts leading her to maul
them.  Is that what it is going to take for the city to take action on
this matter?

The bears stayed in our yard for the day, eventually napping about 40
feet up in a very large ponderosa pine tree right next to 14th St.
These bears have spent many days on our property and we have not called
the Department of Wildlife previously as we knew they would likely
euthanize the sow and the cubs future would be uncertain. I thought long
and hard about it and then ultimately came to the conclusion that the bear
had to go - a very difficult decision, killing a bear.  The bear must be
euthanized because she has adapted to her new trash rich alley lifestyle
and she is training her cubs to perpetuate it.  It is not her fault, it
is our community's fault because we have failed to protect her from
being attracted to our neighborhood.

I called Wildlife and they came out about 6:00 PM.  But for the fact
that it was getting dark rapidly, the bears had climbed so high in the
tree and officer John was not able to secure enough additional officers
due to the heavy load from flood issues, they would have taken out the
bear and then relocated the cubs.  Office John and I agreed to leave them
be but it is absolutely clear that the clock is ticking, with officials waiting
for the optimal time to dart the bears.  Officer John is very disappointed
that it has come to this - euthanizing wild animals is the final option
wildlife officers wish to take but they understand that it has come to this.

When it began to get dark, the bears made their way down the tree
and ambled across our yard.  They climbed over the alley wall and fence
in the usual way and started their regular evening routine.  This
morning our alley was strewn with trash and several piles of bear scat
as a signature.

It is time for city council to take action - map out bear prone areas
and require all residents to use bear proof containers or secure trash
cans indoors until morning pick-ups.  Please put this on the agenda for
2014.  Let's not place another resident in the position of having to decide
whether or not a bear should live or die.

Best,

/s/
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