Community organizations concerned about wildlife in Durango are working cooperatively to reduce bear-human conflicts throughout La Plata County.
The effort, called the Bear Working Group, was set up to improve information exchange and cooperation among a wide variety of organizations to deal with bear conflicts that occur every summer. Members have met off-and-on over the years, but the organization has become more organized during the last year, said Luke Clancy, bear education coordinator for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. He said because so many groups deal with issues regarding wildlife conflicts, the public doesn’t always know who to call for help. The group, which meets quarterly, found that reports about conflict problems were not being shared.
For example, of the 80 calls received by mid-June this year by CPW and Bear Smart Durango, a private nonprofit group, only two of the calls were made to both.
“We found that we don’t have much overlap with other organizations and that causes the public confusion about who to contact,” Clancy said. “Now, we have a way we can all work together on conflict issues.”
Other organizations in the working group include: the city of Durango; Living with Wildlife Advisory Council of La Plata County; La Plata County; Good Food Collective; town of Bayfield; Southern Ute Wildlife Department; La Plata County Animal Protection; waste haulers Phoenix Recycling, WCA and Waste Management; U.S. Forest Service and others.
Bryan Peterson, director of Bear Smart Durango, said people and groups concerned about bears started getting together in 2002 just after the Missionary Ridge Fire. Interest waned over the years, but early this year, leaders of the various groups decided an organized effort was needed, he said.
“There’s a lot of buy-in on forming partnerships and working together,” Peterson said. “Before, everyone was doing their own thing, but no one group can do this on their own. Now, we’re supporting each other and looking at the gaps that need to be filled.”
Bear Smart and CPW now maintain a joint database so all reports of bear sightings and problems can be logged in one place. All of the partners have access to the information, which allows the group to work together to solve conflicts.
“The working group really provides a great opportunity for all the parties to communicate and coordinate our efforts on making contacts in the community,” said Todd Bayless, Living with Wildlife Advisory Board member. “We’re sharing ideas and have developed consistent messaging. I think we’ll have a lot of success by all working together.”
By sharing information in a timely manner, the organizations can be focused when responding to problems. For example, waste company employees who see a problem area can call the agency best suited to respond to the issue. A bear that’s breaking into houses, for example, would be handled by CPW wildlife officers. In a neighborhood where residents aren’t using bear-resistant cans correctly, the city or county code enforcement staff would respond. Bear Smart Durango helps private landowners build electric fencing around beehives, chicken coops and fruit trees. The Good Food Collective gathers names of people with fruit trees who need them picked in the fall. The fruit is either kept by individuals, given to local cider makers, distributed to food banks or given to area pig farmers.
Steve Barkley, code enforcement officer for the city of Durango, said it’s been helpful for the members to know the rules and regulations of the various agencies and who to contact at each.
The Bear Working Group will also send representatives to meet with businesses, homeowners’ associations or other groups to provide educational materials and advice. To learn more about the organization or for information about avoiding wildlife conflicts, call Clancy at CPW’s Durango office at 247-0855.
“We’re happy to be part of the Bear Working Group,” said Matt Thorpe, CPW’s area wildlife manager in Durango. “Everyone has a strong interest in how we can coexist with bears and wildlife.”
So far this summer there have been few problems with bears in La Plata County. However, because of the drought, more conflicts are starting to be reported. CPW urges people to call in bear problems as soon as they see something happen – even if the problem seems minor. If problems are identified early, wildlife officers have multiple options for providing solutions.
"exchange" - Google News
July 19, 2020 at 02:38AM
https://ift.tt/3fUy3FP
Bear Working Group aims to improve information exchange - The Durango Herald
"exchange" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3c55nbe
https://ift.tt/3b2gZKy
Exchange
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Bear Working Group aims to improve information exchange - The Durango Herald"
Post a Comment