Colorado Bear Coalition

06/01/2026

KGNU highlights bears and the Bear Coalition!

Listen to the interview here:

Pearl Street firebombing attacker sentenced to life plus 2,176 years in prison; Widespread hack impacts CO universities; Immigration bill passes

05/27/2026

Bear bill signed into law! Thanks to everyone who helped make this happen! Read more here: https://cpw.state.co.us/news

05/22/2026

Expect increase in bear activity. Store your attractants to keep bears safe.

Hungry bears may venture further into neighborhoods in search of food this year as the drought depletes their natural dining hall, but so far the animals’ activity is normal for this time of year, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

05/17/2026

Bear seen in Wheat Ridge, Colorado -a sign of increasing bear activity. Keep trash and other attractants secured and out of reach. Although a bear may wander through looking for food or territory, do your part by not providing a reward and giving them a reason to stay!

Black bears are showing up in Colorado neighborhoods — and dry winter conditions may be to blame. Here's what CPW wants you to know.

05/14/2026

https://5280.com/black-bear-encounters-colorado/

Drought and heat have black bears waking up earlier and roaming farther in search of food. The state is stepping up to teach people how to live alongside them.

05/08/2026

This Colorado Backcountry News article captures both the win and the tradeoff honestly. The bill started with a criminal negligence standard and ended with a "knowingly" standard.

Here's our take: this bill is still a meaningful step forward. It removes the mandatory first-offense warning, raises fines for repeat offenders, and makes enforcement more practical for CPW officers in the field. Is it everything we wanted? No. Is it better than what we had? Yes.

The harder work — holding people accountable for careless behavior before bears pay the price — continues. This bill is a foundation, not a finish line.

Link to the full article in the comments 👇

05/08/2026

🐻🎉 IT PASSED! 🎉🐻
HB26-1342 — "Negligently Luring Bears" — has passed the Colorado Senate and is headed to Governor Polis for his signature!
This bill has been years in the making and today is a milestone for bears and communities across Colorado. Here's what it does:
✅ Changes the standard from "intentionally" to "knowingly" luring a bear — making it possible to actually hold repeat offenders accountable
✅ Eliminates the mandatory first-offense warning
✅ Raises fines for repeat offenders
None of this happens without the incredible support of our community, the sponsors — Representatives Stewart and Lukens and Senator Marchman — and everyone who testified, called their legislators, and cheered us on.
Now we wait for the Governor's signature. We will keep you posted! 🐾
Link to the bill in the comments 👇

05/07/2026

🐻 Update on HB26-1342 — "Negligently Luring Bears"

The bill passed Senate second reading today with no amendments!

We are one vote away from this becoming law. Senate third reading — the final Senate vote — is expected tomorrow. After that it heads to Governor Polis for his signature.

Stay tuned! 💚

05/07/2026

05/06/2026

A rising star in the human-bear conflict world is about to graduate with her PhD! Hear all about her doctoral work focused on reducing human-bear conflict! We have so enjoyed working with Cassandre and can say with great confidence that the bears are lucky to have her!