Oh, we had it so nice last summer. There was plenty of moisture, which meant grasses grew high, berries were abundant in the forests and acorns flourished.

In other words, it was a good year for bears to find natural foods. As a result, we did not experience a significant amount of conflicts with humans in the Pikes Peak region.

And I’m afraid it lulled many of us into a false sense of security. We didn’t see as many bears and got lazy about closing garage doors, taking down birdfeeders, bringing in pet food, burning off our grills.

It’s time to get “bear aware” again. And fast. Because we all know how dry it has been — and that’s bad news for bears.

How easy did we have it last year?

In the Pikes Peak region, we only had 411 bear calls in 2021 compared to the 850 calls in 2020, which was a poor forage year for bears. (A bear call could be anything from a sighting to a bear in a house.)

The decrease in the number of calls made a huge difference for the safety of people and bears. It also allowed my fellow wildlife officers and me to focus on other aspects of our job, like conducting bighorn sheep counts, angler checks and public educational programs.

But this year has been dry. Historically dry. As in the driest April since the record for lack of rainfall was set in 1965! My colleagues and I are preparing to spend the majority of our summer and fall dealing with urban bear conflicts.

When there are drought conditions, food-stressed bears often come down from the forests and into neighborhoods looking for an easy meal of high caloric trash and birdseed. That means more bears will be in close proximity to people.

So I am asking for help. Embrace our “bear aware” principles and don’t do anything to attract bears. Don’t feed them indirectly by poorly hung birdfeeders or unprotected garbage and pet food. Empty your cars of sweet-smelling attractants like candy, air fresheners, lip balm and more. And lock your cars to keep bears out.

Especially don’t feed them on purpose. It’s illegal and, frankly, selfish. You put a bear’s life in jeopardy when you lure them to your home so you can view them. They lose their natural fear of humans and, instead, look to us as a source of food. They become aggressive and eventually break into garages and homes looking for food.

Over the years, wildlife officers have preached that when bears and people collide, the bear loses. But there are even more victims.

Neighbors have to deal with a habituated bear, even though they are doing everything right. They may have to pick up garbage strewn across their lawn from a careless neighbor who left their trash out all night. Or chase a bear from their garage.

Of course, the bear suffers when we have to haze, relocate or euthanize it.

And wildlife officers suffer when they get called in the middle of the night to respond to a bear in a car or a home. And believe me, we suffer when we are the ones pulling the trigger to euthanize a bear.

I speak from the heart when I say it is the most dreaded part of our job.

Even the selfish individual who fed the bear pays the price for their actions by having to replace their personal items that a bear damages.

So we should all take a moment and reflect on ways that we can work towards being better stewards of our amazing wildlife in the Pikes Peak

region. Especially with the potential drought this summer, we can take very simple steps to prevent bear conflicts.

You can help bears out by:

• Make bears feel uncomfortable around people:

When you see a bear, make it known that it is not welcome near people and houses. Make as much noise as possible: you can yell at it, honk a car or air horn, use rattle-cans, or bang pots and pans. You may also use motion-sensing lights or sprinkler systems.

• Don’t feed birds when bears are active: It’s no secret that bears love birdseed. They view hummingbird feeders the way humans view sugary soft drinks, or the same way I do with my fancy lattes. Birdfeeders provide a huge reward for bears that we don’t want to give them.

• Keep garage doors

closed: Bears entering garages is just a step away from entering into a home. Many of us store canned goods, pet food, and keep a second fridge or freezer in the garage. That can be irresistible to a hungry bear! Keep garage doors closed when not in use.

• Locking vehicles: Bears are extremely resourceful. They can open car doors with ease by pulling the handle or going through an open window.

• Keep doors and win

dows closed: In my years patrolling southwest Colorado Springs, I have to respond too many times to a “bear in a house” call. This is the worst part of my job. It means this bear will be euthanized. Every day, I pray that when my phone rings, it won’t be one of these calls. How did the bear get in? Doors and windows were left open. A bear can easily rip through a screen. When you live in bear country, keep your windows/doors shut. It will save a bear’s life.

• Secure chicken coops:

Chickens and bears do not get along. Well, the bears might think differently. Chickens are easy meals for even a small bear. Bears can easily break through a chicken coop. If you want to raise chickens in bear country, do your part and electrify the chicken coop. Resources on how to do this is can be found at https://cpw.state. co.us/learn/Pages/LivingwithWildlifeWildBears.aspx

In the coming months, I’ll share more of tips and stories about wildlife issues in our community. And remember, if you have a question, problem or column idea, please call me at 719-227-5287.