Colorado awards $1 million in grants for bear-proofing efforts, including in Manitou Springs

Colorado Parks and Wildlife has given out $1 million in grants to local communities to help reduce conflicts with bears.

The Human-Bear Conflict Reduction Community Grant was created in 2021. This year it may be more important than ever.

We know the drought has led to record bear activity as the hungry animals are pushed closer to humans in search of food.

One of the biggest places now to find that food is in the trash.

Seventeen projects in our state received this funding, and they're all planning to use it for trash-related bear-proofing upgrades.

That includes projects in Parachute, Ward, Aspen, Boulder County, and Manitou Springs.

Manitou Springs is no stranger to bears.

"Bears are part of our lives," said Manitou Springs Mayor Natalie Johnson.

But this year, activity is significantly higher.

"We did have one bear that did, in fact, get in someone's car. And as you can imagine, a trapped bear in a car can cause a lot of damage," Johnson said. "Our police chief and fire chief had to sort of figure out a way to get the door open, and the bear did get out."

This year, bears are finding their way into cars, backyards, and dumpsters in Manitou Springs.

"We talk to our customers, and they're saying the bear problem is really bad, then we see it," said Jonathan Stevens, sanitation worker with Republic Services.

Stevens knows one man's trash is a bear's treasure.

"We've seen a lot of babies get into the trash cans," Stevens said. "We'll pick the trash up early in the morning, so the cans are just spilled over and then they dig the garbage out and look for whatever they're looking for that smells good."

It's why the City of Manitou Springs applied for a Human-Bear Conflict Reduction Community Grant from the state.

"This has been part of an ongoing project for this community," Johnson said.

In 2024, Manitou used the same grant to purchase 64 bear-proof trash cans. They gave them to residents on a first-come, first-served basis.

"They went very, very quickly. I think within 24 to 48 hours," said Frederick Rollenhagen, planning director for Manitou Springs.

This year, they received $100,000 to give out more trash cans to neighbors.

"I see the need everywhere. I know that the community sees the need, and so we will take full advantage of those dollars," Johnson said.

And replace city trash cans in busy areas that are damaged or not up to bear-proof standards.

"I would say between 80% to 90% are bear-proof. So we have a high number, but they're getting old. They're becoming damaged," Rollenhagen said.

Stevens can attest the bear-proof cans work, and make his job easier.

"There's just clips on the bottom of them that you just have to squeeze together with your fingers, and it pops a little bit. But the bear can't figure that out, so that's a good thing," Stevens said. "It's horrible to try and pick up all this trash spread out everywhere and get it back in the can and then in our truck."

The city will start getting quotes from trash can manufacturers to see how many they can get with this money, they're hoping to have more than 100 available for residents. Those should be available to neighbors early next year.