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Bears in Lone Tree

Every season, Lone Tree residents are greeted by a black bear in their neighborhood, often rummaging through trash containers, nesting in bushes, or simply just passing through. While several of these encounters have been uneventful and the bears typically find their way back home, some residents may feel uneasy about these unexpected visitors. As a result, they may request assistance in relocating the bear, although such actions may not be necessary according to wildlife officials.  

The Lone Tree Police Department would like to provide information and tips on these bears, including the police response, as well as the role of Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) and when immediate action is needed to safely relocate the bears, ensuring public safety and the well-being of the wildlife involved.  

Black Bears 

Black bears come in a variety of colors: honey, blond, cinnamon, brown, and black. They may have a tan muzzle or white spot on the chest and sometimes mistaken for grizzly bears (there are no known grizzlies living in Colorado). Adult males weigh around 275 pounds and females weight about 175 pounds. Depending on the season, food supply and gender, black bears may weigh anywhere from 100 to 450 pounds. Black bears measure about three feet high when on all four feet. They can be 5 feet tall when standing on their back legs.  

Range  

In Colorado, the largest populations of black bears live in areas where there is Gambel’s oak and aspen, near open areas of chokecherry and serviceberry bushes. A black bear may have a range from 10 to 250 square miles. Bears are most active from mid-March through early November.   

Diet  

Black bears learn to eat natural foods, such as berries, nuts and insects.  Bears who find human food, even once, can change their habits to seek food from residences and trash cans. Most bears seen in residential areas near or within bear habitat do not cause any damage. If a bear doesn’t find abundant food, it will move on.  

Tips to Reduce Bear Encounters 

  • Secure trash: Keep all trash in trash containers and do not leave trash out overnight until the day of pickup.   
  • Clean grills: Ensure grills are cleaned thoroughly after use to prevent the smell of food residue from attracting bears.   
  • Store food properly: Keep food indoors and secure, and do not leave food in cars or on patios.   
  • Avoid attracting bears: Don’t leave pet food outside, remove bird feeders, and pick fruit before it ripens.   
  • Make noise: If hiking or camping, make noise to alert bears to your presence and prevent surprises.   
  • Haze bears: If a bear is spotted in your yard or neighborhood, you can try to haze it by making loud noises, such as using car alarms, pots and pans, or yelling.   

Report Sightings 

  • Call the Lone Tree Police Department at 303-799-0533 or 9-1-1 to report the bear sighting. An officer will respond to note its location, and residents of the area will be notified via the City’s communication channels to ensure residents are aware of the bear’s presence.   
  • Do not follow or approach the bear, do not stop and take photos, and keep children inside as often, the bear will continue to move on.    

Bear Encounter 

  • Stay calm and observe – do not run or make sudden movements.   
  • Back away slowly while facing the bear.   
  • Make yourself look bigger – wave your arms overhead and raise them to appear larger.   
  • Make loud noises – yell, clap your hands, or use an airhorn to deter the bear.   
  • Use bear spray – if bear is within 40 feet.   
  • Fight back if attacked – fight vigorously using any available object, focusing on the bear’s face and muzzle.   

Relocation or Euthanasia Policy

Most conflicts between people and bears can be traced to human food, garbage, pet food, bird feeders or other attractants. When people allow bears to find food, a bear’s drive to eat can overcome its natural fear of humans. Bears that get too comfortable around people can destroy property or even become a threat to human safety. Habituated bears could be terminated. Often, black bears are naturally not aggressive.  

In Colorado, a bear sighting(s) alone may not be enough to prompt a response from CPW if they believe the bear will move on naturally. CPW officials decide to relocate or, in some cases, euthanize bears based on factors like location, nuisance behavior, public safety risks, and the potential for the bear’s behavior to escalate. The “Two-Strike Policy” is often used, where a bear displaying nuisance behavior (e.g., getting into trash, being seen too often in human spaces) may be tagged and relocated. If the same bear is seen again in the City displaying similar behavior, it may be euthanized. Bears that pose an immediate threat to public safety such as displaying aggressive behavior or are too comfortable around people are also typically euthanized, regardless of whether they have ear tags.  

In the event of a bear encounter in Lone Tree that prompts a response from CPW, the Police Department will provide support to ensure public safety. This includes assisting with the response, informing the public about the situation, and offering education on how to stay safe and reduce bear encounters.     

For more information on living with bears, visit cpw.state.co.us