Overview
- Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and Colorado Parks and Wildlife announced on Tuesday that 17 local projects will share $1 million from the Human-Bear Conflict Reduction Community Grant program to fund bear-proofing work.
- Most awards pay for bear-resistant trash solutions such as IGBC-certified residential bins, secure dumpster enclosures, self-locking containers and stabilized pads to remove food and waste that attract bears.
- Manitou Springs received the largest single award at $100,000 to expand a citywide distribution of bear-resistant residential bins and repair public receptacles while Mountaindale RV Resort was granted $26,293 to replace damaged dumpsters with bear-resistant units.
- CPW received 27 applications totaling $2.2 million and funded 12 projects in full and five partially, and officials said the program—created in 2021 with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service support—pairs this funding with an expanded public education push.
- Officials point to this year’s record bear activity, including 12 reported attacks, and say the grants plus outreach and municipal ordinances requiring compliant carts aim to reduce repeat conflicts and make daily life safer for residents and rescue crews.