Snowmass Village is in prime black bear habitat. Residents are encouraged to be bear aware and minimize the risk of bear-human interactions.
Human-bear conflicts will increase when residents leave food sources outside of their homes. Trash, recycling, and compost bins are major attractants for foraging bears. Pet food, bird feeders, and outdoor cooking equipment such as grills and barbecues also attract bears to the home. Black bears are curious, intelligent, and very resourceful; they will explore all possible food sources. If they find food near homes, campgrounds, vehicles, or communities, they’ll come back for more. The Town of Snowmass Village urges all residents to remove food sources from their yards(including fruit from trees), vehicles, and other human-occupied areas to reduce the likelihood of a bear interaction. Locking windows and doors including those to your garage and vehicle when not at home or in use is also advised.
Bear Resistant Trash Containers
The Town of Snowmass village maintains bear-resistant trash enclosures for residential solid waste and recycling. For those residences with curbside pick-up service, the Town will be modifying trash bins over the coming month to make them more resistant to bears. Crews will be installing a locking strap mechanism to bins that will help reduce the likelihood that a bear is able to access the solid waste inside. Even with these modifications, bins may only be placed outside on the day of pickup and returned to an inside location by 6:00 p.m. that same evening.
For more information on solid waste, please visit our website.
Bear Sightings & Interactions
To report a bear sighting in Snowmass Village, please email Snowmass Village Animal Services at animal@tosv.com or call at 970-923-5330. The information that you provide is used to track their movement and behavior and will help keep black bears alive. Trapping and relocating wildlife is not a viable option. A bear will have to be euthanized once it becomes habituated to unnatural food sources and less wary of humans. Wildlife sightings are part of mountain life - please appreciate and respect an animal’s right to thrive by being bear aware!
For information on living in bear habitat, please visit the Town's webpage on bear education. Additional information can be found online with Colorado Parks & Wildlife.
