Colorado Parks and Wildlife outlines bear mitigation options, habitat connectivity and herd concerns

Matt Yamashita, supervisor in wildlife for Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), briefed the Pitkin County Board on Feb. 10 about human–wildlife conflicts, habitat‑connectivity work and population health of local herds.

Bear activity and landfill mitigation: Yamashita acknowledged ongoing public concern about black bears using the Pitkin County landfill. He said CPW’s role is to manage wildlife populations and advise communities on mitigation, but county operational choices (for example, landfill design or fencing) remain local decisions. CPW staff described potential mitigation tools — including electric fencing used successfully in other contexts — but cautioned that such measures “are not a silver bullet,” noting questions about installation cost, maintenance and variable effectiveness.

Yamashita said Colorado Bear Coalition had criticized county response publicly, that the coalition offered to research best practices and present findings, and that CPW would be available to participate in joint reviews of alternatives. County staff cautioned that large reconstruction work at the landfill could affect which mitigation options make sense and urged coordination before spending on interim fixes.

Landscape connectivity and habitat projects: CPW emphasized habitat conservation and improvement (for example, prescribed burns and mastication) and said safe‑passage or highway‑crossing projects are valuable but that habitat protection and improvement are currently higher priorities in the valley. Yamashita cited the Roaring Fork Outdoor Coalition as a forum for coordinating conservation and recreation planning.

Herd health and recruitment: CPW reported that local elk herd population counts may be within objective ranges, but calf‑to‑cow ratios are low — an indicator of weak recruitment. Yamashita said that low recruitment leaves herds vulnerable to severe weather events or other shocks and that causes likely include predation, recreational disturbance, disease and habitat fragmentation.

Wolves and wolverines: Yamashita said CPW was not adding wolves to the state this winter and that Pitkin County was not selected as a release site this year. He also noted CPW is advancing a multi‑year, legislatively directed planning process for wolverine reintroduction and will be ground‑truthing habitat suitability locally.

Next steps: Commissioners and CPW agreed to keep working on coordinated options — including possible joint reviews of fence feasibility, habitat projects, and community outreach — and to invite the coalition and CPW back with cost estimates and best‑practice reports before committing funding.