Local bruins staying put in the area backcountry—for now

No photo ops of a bruin in a tree this summer

If something isn’t happening, is that still news? It is in this small-town newspaper during a very busy week. And the thing that is not happening is—bears. In summers past, the towns of Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte were bear magnets. Not so much this year.

“We honestly haven’t had one call for a bear this summer,” said Ted Conner, Crested Butte assistant chief marshal, on his final day at work. Conner is now retired. But we digress.
“It’s terrific and frankly we are thankful,” Conner continued. “A big part of it is due to the awareness and hard work of the residents. The dumpsters and trash are being secured and we need to keep that up. It’s a lot less attractive for bears when they can’t get to the trash.”
Conner did say people are normally a bit less aware when it comes to bird feeders. And feeders are a major attraction for bears. So be cognizant of leaving them out.
The Mt. Crested Butte police department covers that town and the northern part of Gunnison County. The cops are experiencing the same bruin drought that Crested Butte is seeing.
“We have had no reports of intrusive bears in town or our entire jurisdiction, which is the upper end of the valley and includes places like Crested Butte South,” said department administrative assistant Marge Trautman. “The weather certainly seems to play to our favor right now but over the course of the last couple of years, I think people have stepped up their efforts to manage their trash and bird feeders. It’s really helped keep the bears away from the town.”
J Wenum, area wildlife manager with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, said that changing people’s habits along with the more normal moist weather has played a role in keeping the bears away from the population centers.
“It has been a wet spring and that is good for natural food sources,” he explained. “We haven’t heard of much bear activity in Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte. Folks doing the right thing really helps.”
Wenum said the berries all bears love so much haven’t yet sprung up in the backcountry, but bears seek out nuts, acorns and almost any green vegetation. Acorns are plentiful on the other side of Kebler Pass.
“Up there, as you know, there is plenty of green vegetation and wildflowers,” said Wenum. “In fact the whole basin is looking really green right now. Bears will eat a lot of both. They also like insects. They will be in heaven if they find a big anthill. Insects provide plenty of protein.”
The berries will pop near the end of July.
“I’d like to credit the community as well,” added Wenum. “We have been pushing the preventive message for years and it seems to be working. The community is stepping up and is conscious of protecting their trash and being aware of the bird feeders. We don’t want to give the bears a first taste because they’ll keep coming back. So I think there is a combination of things keeping the bears out of town. There is the weather, the community action and just the general education of the citizens.”
Conner concurred. “The last bears we saw were probably at least a year ago,” he said. “We hazed them pretty good and they departed for the woods. There was a time when the bears would come in with the cubs and the little ones would learn bad habits and it grew from there.
“It was sad when the bears were trapped and put down,” Conner continued. “They each had their own personality and no one wanted to see them destroyed. The main thing for the town is that we have made progress and that is saving bears. It is easy to get lackadaisical when they aren’t present but we all need to stay vigilant. So keep your trash and your dog food secured. Don’t give them a reason to come back into town.”
Conner said the marshals who remain on the force would continue to enforce violations and take the situation seriously. “It’s been a dramatic downturn and we want to keep it that way.”
“Just because we aren’t having issues we shouldn’t set the stage to have some,” agreed Wenum. “There are bears around. They just aren’t being drawn into the town. It’s great bear country and you can certainly encounter them in the backcountry on a hike or a bike ride, especially in the big wildflower areas. But that is where they belong, not in the alleys of town.”