Bear Smart

The first bear of the year in La Plata County has been spotted, a sign the ursines may soon be waking from their winter hibernation. Lyle Wilmarth, a retired wildlife officer for Colorado Parks and...

With all the attention on this year’s highly contentious election and the onslaught of news surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, one issue that usually takes the spotlight in Southwest Colorado went...

Winter has finally arrived, but not before unseasonably warm temperatures the last few months caused strange things to happen out on the landscape in Southwest Colorado. From delayed elk and bird...

Bear activity in La Plata County has been quiet so far this year, but weather conditions over the next couple weeks will play a major role in whether enough food is available during the animals’...

An early spring may have arrived in Southwest Colorado, evident by the region’s first bear sighting this week a few miles north of Bayfield. Bear expert Lyle Willmarth spotted a large male bear...

A homeowner in Vallecito on Sunday shot a bear displaying aggressive behavior and little fear of people, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. CPW spokesman Joe Lewandowski said the bear killed...

Bears are waking up around Durango, and it’s time to start taking precautionary measures to reduce human-bear conflicts, wildlife officials say. “It’s that time of year,” said Colorado Parks and...

Bears are waking up around Durango, and it’s time to start taking precautionary measures to reduce human-bear conflicts, wildlife officials say. “It’s that time of year,” said Colorado Parks and...

People in Durango are not locking their bear-resistant trash cans, rekindling calls for the city of Durango to up its enforcement. At least that’s the takeaway message from a new study conducted by...

A Durango man has been ticketed for intentionally feeding bears – for the third time in eight years – resulting in a $1,000 fine and a likelihood the bears will have to be euthanized. “You just...

The San Juan Mountains’ bear population has been visiting town significantly less this summer with natural food more abundant. Last year, Colorado Parks and Wildlife received hundreds of calls...