Colorado
More food, fewer conflicts: Colorado bear encounters dropped in 2023 due to better forage
The number of conflicts between people and bears reported in Colorado dropped by 15% in 2023 thanks to sufficient natural food sources, state wildlife officials said Monday.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife received 3,526 reports of sightings and conflicts with bears in 2023, down from 4,147 reports in 2022, the agency said in a news release.
Wildlife officers relocated 33 bears and euthanized 63 bears last year, the lowest number of euthanasias in at least eight years, according to previous reporting.
Colorado is home to an estimated 17,000 — 20,000 bears, and the biggest cause of conflict with humans is still bears trying to access human food and trash.
Approximately 51% of bear encounters reported in Colorado last year resulted in property damage to a shed, garage, home, vehicle or fence, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Of those reports, 92% were linked to some kind of “attractant” like trash, livestock, chickens, beehives, bird seed, pet food, grills, coolers or refrigerators, agency officials said.
“These conflicts could all easily be reduced if the public takes some simple steps around their homes and properties to prevent bears from accessing them,” state officials said in a news release Monday.
Nature also plays a role in the amount of bear activity Coloradans see every year, with drought and late freezes impacting natural food sources and driving them to seek food in more urban areas.
While a late freeze and drought impacted food sources in some areas of the state in 2022, most of the state saw warm enough temperatures and enough precipitation this year to produce enough natural forage for bears.
The northwest region saw the largest decline in bear conflicts, but wildlife officials noted “an unreasonable number” of bears were still reported entering homes, according to the agency.
Reporting bear activity helps wildlife officers intervene early to haze bears and educate the community, which can prevent bears from needing to be euthanized, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials said in a news release.
Colorado counties with the biggest share of bear encounters include Pitkin County with 429 reports, El Paso County with 272 reports, Boulder County with 270 reports and Jefferson County with 200 reports.
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President Donald Trump made it known Sunday night that he is not a fan of the portrait displayed of him in the Colorado state Capitol.
Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to rage about the “distorted” portrait Sunday evening, erroneously claiming it was the doing of the state’s governor Jared Polis. However, it was Republican State Sen. Kevin Grantham who led the charge in commissioning and securing funding for the painting back in 2018.
“Nobody likes a bad picture or painting of themselves, but the one in Colorado, in the State Capitol, put up by the Governor, along with all other Presidents, was purposefully distorted to a level that even I, perhaps, have never seen before,” Trump claimed in his post. He provided no evidence to support the idea that the portrait was “purposefully distorted.”
Trump pointed out that the artist was the same who painted a portrait for Barack Obama, which he said looked “wonderful,” before describing the one of him as “truly the worst” and slinging insults at the painter, Sarah A. Boardman.
“She must have lost her talent as she got older. In any event, I would much prefer not having a picture than having this one, but many people from Colorado have called and written to complain. In fact, they are actually angry about it!”
Trump, again, provided no evidence to support his claim that Colorado residents are “angry” about the portrait nor complaining en mass.
Trump then blamed the portrait, which appears to be a fairly straight-forward likeness of the president, on “Radical Left Governor” Polis and demanded it be taken down.
“I am speaking on their behalf to the Radical Left Governor, Jared Polis, who is extremely weak on Crime, in particular with respect to Tren de Aragua, which practically took over Aurora (Don’t worry, we saved it!), to take it down. Jared should be ashamed of himself!”
It is unclear why the president believes the governor was involved with the commissioning of or had an influence on the artistic direction of the painting.
Portrait was commissioned, hung by state Republicans six years ago
Efforts to have the painting commissioned, approved and hung in the hall were led by state Republicans, including Grantham, who used a GoFundMe in 2018 to raise $10,000 for the portrait.
Colorado Senate Republicans hosted an event alongside Boardman in August 2019 to hang the painting, which had been approved by the group. It is unclear why Trump has taken issue with the painting six years after its official unveiling.
Gov. Polis’ office issued a statement shared with USA TODAY Monday morning, saying, “Gov. Polis was surprised to learn the President of the United States is an aficionado of our Colorado State Capitol and its artwork. The State Capitol was completed in 1901, and features Rose Onyx and White Yule Marble mined in Colorado, and includes portraits of former Presidents and former governors. We appreciate the President and everyone’s interest in our capitol building and are always looking for any opportunity to improve our visitor experience.”
USA TODAY has reached out to the Trump administration, Grantham and Boardman for comment.
- Highs in the 60s and 70s
- Staying breezy
- Dry trend continues
EARLY NEXT WEEK: Temperatures will begin to climb to reach 60s and 70s for most. Expect lots of sunshine with dry time continuing too. Wind gusts will be up to 25 MPH.
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LATER IN THE WEEK: Southern Colorado stays breezy with gusts continuing to stay elevated. Temperatures stay 10 to 15 degrees above seasonal averages, so high fire danger is likely to return.
THE WEEKEND: We return to seasonal temperatures on Saturday with rain chances too. Sunday is expected to remain fairly cool too.
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