17 Colorado projects to split $1M in Human-Bear Conflict Reduction Community grants

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and Colorado Parks and Wildlife announced the winners of $1 million in Human-Bear Conflict Reduction Community grants.

According to CPW, the grants will be distributed to 17 efforts around Colorado for communities, businesses or nonprofits to create ways to reduce human-bear conflicts.

So far this year, there have been 12 bear attacks across Colorado, which have prompted CPW to launch a new education campaign to raise awareness about the record bear activity and how people can prepare to reduce the number of bear conflicts that could potentially lead to more dangerous encounters.

“Our quality of life, plentiful outdoor recreation opportunities, and jaw-dropping landscapes attract both families and animals to our state. That's why these common-sense and data-driven strategies are so important to reduce human-bear conflicts and ensure that all Coloradans and wildlife are safe,” said Polis said in a statement.

According to CPW, there were 27 applications requesting $2.2 million in funding.

“Human-bear conflict measures cannot be successful without collaboration between local communities, wildlife managers and individuals,” said CPW Grant Manager Travis Long. “Fortunately, CPW has seen success with this grant program with many communities taking advantage of the opportunities this funding provided and implementing projects to help reduce conflicts with bears.”

In all, 12 proposals received the full amount of funding requested, and five proposals received partial funding. They are:

• Manitou Springs - Bear-Resistant Containers - $100,000 - Expanding on previous work completed in Manitou Springs, this project will launch a city-wide initiative to distribute bear-resistant residential trash bins and replace non-compliant public receptacles across its downtown corridor and high-traffic trailheads.
• Snowmass Village - Dumpster Enclosure - $56,250 - The Snowmass Village Housing Department will replace a dilapidated, non-compliant dumpster shed that currently serves three local affordable housing developments.
• Town of South Fork - Dumpsters and Bins - $58,500 - The Town of South Fork is launching a project to provide low-cost, bear-resistant trash receptacles to local businesses and residents. The project will provide approximately 100 residential trash bins and up to 20 commercial dumpsters.
• Roaring Fork Valley - All Valley Resources, Self-Lock Waste Containers - $48,550 - All Valley Resources will upgrade existing waste storage in the Roaring Fork Valley to self-locking containers, reducing access to attractants such as cooking oil and food waste. They will purchase and deploy approximately 70 heavy-duty self-locking containers with this award.
• Eagle - Eagle Ranch HOA, Trash Infrastructure - $40,000 - The Eagle Ranch Association will replace all non-compliant public trash receptacles with IGBC-certified bear-resistant enclosures across park and commercial locations in Eagle, Colorado. This two-phase infrastructure upgrade will bring the community into full compliance with local wildlife protection laws.
• Town of Oak Creek - Bear-Resistant Container - $161,625 - The Town of Oak Creek will purchase and distribute 550 bear-resistant trash totes to all residential customers at no extra cost. Paired with a new municipal ordinance mandating their use, this project directly removes barriers to eliminate trash as a major attractant and reduce human-bear conflicts throughout the community.
• Eagle - Mountain Tots Preschool, Trash Enclosure - $35,057 - As part of its campus construction in Eagle, Colorado, Mountain Tots Preschool will install an IGBC-certified, bear-resistant dumpster enclosure system to eliminate food attractants near its new childcare facility.
• Town of Minturn - Downtown Containers - $100,000 - The Town of Minturn will replace aging infrastructure in its historic commercial district with a secure, centralized trash and recycling compactor system. By eliminating loose outdoor containers and installing additional wildlife-proof public receptacles, the project aims to reduce recurring garbage-driven bear activity.
• Boulder County - Colorado Bear Coalition, Trash Bins - $34,991- In partnership with the Town of Nederland and Boulder County Public Works, the Colorado Bear Coalition will distribute bear-resistant trash containers to households in Nederland and Allenspark. This initiative expands on prior grant efforts to protect residents, safeguard local bears, and eliminate unsecured household waste in underserved mountain neighborhoods.
• Town of Parachute - Bear-Resistant Containers - $64,365 - To address conflict near local neighborhoods and schools, the Town of Parachute will launch a project to replace 365 residential trash cans with bear-resistant containers and fit 13 commercial dumpsters with wildlife-resistant lids.
• Twin Lakes - Friends of Twin Lakes, Bear-Resistant Containers - $75,000 - Friends of Twin Lakes will distribute up to 380 IGBC-certified, 64-gallon bear-resistant trash containers to residents and businesses in targeted, high-conflict areas. Offered for free or a small donation, these tracked containers aim to eliminate accessible attractants.
• Rico, Dolores and Mancos - Countryside Disposal, Bear-Resistant Trash Bins - $70,000 - Countryside Disposal will roll out a high-conflict area bear-resistant waste program to serve 405 residential customers and 34 commercial dumpsters across Rico, Dolores, and Mancos, Colorado.
• Ward - YMCA of Northern Colorado, Multi-Phase Bear Proofing - $32,956 - The YMCA of Northern Colorado will install permanent bear mitigation infrastructure at Camp Tumbleson Lake in Ward, Colorado. The project will combine stabilized dumpster pads, electric fencing, and bear-resistant cans.
• El Paso and Fremont - Mountaindale RV, Bear-Resistant Containers - $26,293 - Mountaindale RV Resort will replace damaged waste infrastructure with secure, bear-resistant dumpsters at its property between El Paso and Fremont counties. The resort aims to eliminate persistent food attractants.
• Aspen Village - Bear-Resistant Trash Bins - $45,000 - Aspen Village will purchase and deploy 125 bear-resistant residential trash bins within the community in Pitkin County. Close proximity to the Pitkin County Landfill results in frequent bear issues, and this project aims to reduce the availability of attractants.
• Eldorado Springs - Bear-Resistant Containers - $22,713 - The Eldorado Springs Community Association and the Eldorado Springs Bear Working Group are requesting funding to distribute IGBC-certified bear-resistant trash containers to targeted households and establish a cart maintenance fund.

Mountain View Village - Bear-Resistant Containers - $28,700 - Located near Leadville, Mountain View Village will address over eight years of persistent bear activity by leveraging grant funding to replace all regular residential trash cans with bear-proof containers.
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