Bear-proof trash cans could be coming to Colorado Springs
We are well into bear season and there have been plenty of encounters here in the Pikes Peak region. Since April, Colorado Parks and Wildlife say they’ve already had about 200 calls about bears.
Now the bear task force is working with the city of Colorado Springs to prevent the problem from growing. The city has proposed a new ordinance for bear-proof trash cans that are modeled after an ordinance in Manitou Springs.
In 2017, Manitou Springs implemented a citywide rule requiring people either use a bear-secure trash can or wait until 5 a.m. on trash day to put your cans on the curb. The city says it’s worked, and the bears are far less active in the area. But now they’ve moved to other neighborhoods.
Last summer’s dry weather, followed by a cold spring, caused a food shortage. That pushed bears into neighborhoods, on the hunt for garbage.
“It’s just hard to stop them, they are calorie monsters,” says Colorado Springs City Council President Richard Skorman. “Some of them have learned to hibernate except the day the garbage is going to get picked up. That’s how smart they are.”
To help curb that attraction, Skorman says the city has proposed a law that would require neighborhoods west of I-25 use bear-proof trash cans or wait until 5 a.m. on trash day to put out the garbage.
“The heartbreak is we had to euthanize 30 bears in 2017, and 15 cubs we had to build artificial dens for and that’s the hard part of it,” says Skorman. “But bears can be dangerous if you get between them and their food.”
Colorado Parks and Wildlife says this number is above average. And so they looked into the problem.
“The data shows that there needs to be some change for sure, and the trash is a very big attractant that causes those human and wildlife conflicts,” says Cody Wigner, an assistant area wildlife manager.
Manitou Springs’ city code enforcement officer says the 2017 ordinance has made a huge difference.
“Bear, human interactions have been much less this year than last year,” says Cy Cushenberry.
Because of those results, Skorman says they are modeling their law off what Manitou is doing.
“We are going to have some town halls and we’ll have a good public discussion when we have the vote,” says Skorman. “Some people will probably be concerned about the price because they have to buy the bear-proof cans.”
The cans in Manitou we’re told run upwards of $300. It’s a big dollar amount, but in the eyes of officials, it’s a small price for safety.
“I always tell people animals are smart, especially bears, but people are smarter, so we need to do out part to keep us and them safe,” says Wigner.
Manitou Springs has a scholarship program where neighbors can apply for a free bear-proof can, or get one at a reduced price. We don’t know if Colorado Springs will offer something similar. City council says they want to have several talks with the community before it’s brought to a vote. They hope to have it implemented before next season.
