Barbara Lawlor, Peak to Peak.  May and June were hungry months for the mountain bear population. Heavy rains slowed down the fruition of berries, their main diet, leading them to explore other sources of food.

As they prowled through the forest and meadows at night, they were attracted by the lush scents put out by human homes and outbuildings including vehicles. Large round plastic containers reeked of food debris, fruits, vegetables, meat gone back, chicken wings, eggshells. Not a bear’s natural diet, but it smells good and the best part is that it is there for the taking.

Bears have long claws backed up by powerful legs, arms when they need to be, that can pull open just about any door. They have learned about door handles and window that slide. They follow their nose relentless, breaking and entering into homes, looking into cupboards and refrigerators to see what they can snack on.

Sugar water for hummingbirds is particularly seductive. All they have to do is stand on their hind legs and tip the feeder. letting the sweet nectar flow into their mouths. When they are done, they look around to see what the next course is. Hmm, what about the dog food bin just inside of the door off the deck? No problem. Lights are off, everyone’s asleep. Just a quick snack.

They have no intent to harm anyone, but that could change in a moment if their cubs are endangered or if they feel trapped.

Residents who are the victims of these marauding intrusions do not want to see the bears killed, or even trapped and removed. They appreciate their next-to-wilderness homes and the opportunity to view wildlife. They understand that having easy to get food near their homes could result in dangerous situations and ultimately, the end of bears in the neighborhood.

In the past couple of months, bears have been the subject of local social media. People have reported bear sightings, bear intrusions and bear families visiting their property. They have submitted pictures, trying to see if there are repeat offenders. Free-flowing advice on how to deal with the bear situation has flooded local news threads.

The one thing that most neighbors have tried to avoid is having government agencies come in to rectify the situation. A few conversations with experts have come up with suggestions, that seem to work or not work depending on the situation. Either way, mountain folks are trying to come up with their own strategies on how to live in natural harmony with the large, furry, amazing animals that are our neighbors.

Last month, on a Sunday night, a Gold Hill resident noticed that their dog was looking at the door with intent concern. As they watched, the door handle began wiggling, as if someone was trying to open it. But it wasn’t someone. It was some bear.

Yelling and turning on the outdoor light, the residents were able to convince the bear to move on. Inspecting the property, they discovered that the bear had opened the garage door and dragged a bag of bird seed outside. Before eating any of the seeds, he, or she, had decided to focus on the house.

Right around the same time, another Gold Hill resident reported that a long-legged bear ripped their bird feeder out of a tree and tore apart their composter. The residents were alerted by their cats who looked outside with wide eyes and big tails. The homeowner saw the bear climb onto the back deck and he blasted an air horn at the critter which ambled off neither afraid or in much of a hurry.

“We’re not putting the bird feeders out for a while.”

Last week, Kristin Cannon, district manager for the Department of Parks and Wildlife, visited Gold Hill to get stories so she can build an overall picture of the bear phenomenon in the area. She has asked that people who have bear stories call her or email her at 303-291-7117 or kristin.cannon@state.co.us

A Gold Hill couple recently put up a tall electric fence around their apple trees and vegetable garden. Cannon told them not to bait the fence, which is illegal, that the bears, once they feel the electricity, will avoid the experience.

She also advised that one of the worst things one can do is stand there and take pictures, without creating a negative experience for the bear. As much as one likes to see them having them as a regular visitor could lead to their becoming nuisance bears, grounds for execution.

Pam Sherman of Gold Hill  says she read a book, Out on a Limb, by bear researcher and nuisance bear first responder Benjamin Kilham who wrote that humans can deter bears most effectively by acting as other bears do. he says he has documented how black bears communicate aggression to each other and he mimicked the behavior with nuisance bear, using a human-dominance technique known as “walking a bear out.”

It’s scary. It involves locking eyes on the bear while walking slowly and steadily toward her. Kilham writes, “It is interpreted as a very aggressive and dominant action. Residential bears, knowing they are in my territory, will usually turn to flee on my first step. The message can be enhanced by walking stiffly and pursuing the bear until trees or snorts and runs off. You become the dominant animal.”

After calls of bears showing up at campground and rummaging through tents, the USFS has put up baited tents in campsites. The tents are marked off with crime scene tape so humans won’t enter them and booby trapped with pepper spray. Bears hit with spray will not be so eager to enter anything that resembles a tent.

A Magnolia Road bee keeper has installed an electric fence around her hives with a metal strip on the ground surrounding the enclosure. The metal strip is powered and the second the bear steps on it, he is zapped with a blast he won’t soon forget. Yvonne Blakely says she is raising bees, not for the honey, but  to help invigorate the diminishing bee population. The honey will get them through the winter.

Other Magnolia residents have experienced bears entering their houses through any moveable space in sliding glass doors or windows and they have become adept at turning door knobs. One resident said that although the bear visitations do not scare her, she feels it is time for all neighbors to do some problem solving. She suggested putting empty bins at the end of the driveway and placing the ones the are using in a bear proof place. Bears have been known to prowl the garbage route before it is picked up.

Banging pots and pans aggressively is a successful deterrent. Making your property a negative prospect for bears makes your property safer for you and for the bear.

Recently, a hiker in the Magnolia area found two huge piles of bear scat that consisted mostly of sunflower seeds and food wrappers.

The wildflowers and the garden flowers are blooming and there is plenty of food for the hummingbirds. Some people suggest that offering sugar-saturated water is not healthy for the birds anyway.

Residents say it is up to all of us to teach bears that they will not find food at our houses or on our property. Natural bear foods start ripening in July and the bears should return a normal diet. Some will linger looking for the easy meals that can be found on human territory. We all need to bear proof our homes, they need to come up empty at every visit. It is our responsibility to keep them safe. These big beasts are smart and can learn what and who to stay away from.

“We should alter our behavior rather than kill a bear,” says a Magnolia Road resident.