Colorado experienced record-high volumes of conflict between bears and humans last year. 

While human-bear conflict increased nearly 15% between 2023 and 2024, northwest Colorado continues to see the highest volume of reports. Last year, Colorado Parks and Wildlife received 1,914 reports in the region, a 55% increase from 2023. In the majority of incidents, trash is the attractant that can lead to property damage and conflicts between bears and humans.  

To help communities combat the rising conflict, Parks and Wildlife announced Thursday the latest round of funding for its Human-Bear Conflict Reduction Community Grant Program. Through the program, the agency has $1 million in funding for projects offering solutions to remove attractants and reduce conflict with black bears. 

Local governments, NGOs, HOAs, community groups, businesses, tribes, universities and individuals are all eligible to receive funding. Applicants can apply for grants between $50,000 and $500,000. The application is open on Parks and Wildlife’s website through 5 p.m. May 30, 2025.

The grant program was created by the state legislature in 2021.

Last year, the $1 million in grants were awarded to 15 communities, eight of which were in northwest Colorado. As trash is responsible for the vast majority of human-beat conflicts, all of the 2024 grant recipients had projects that involved enclosing trash or investing in bear-resistant trash cans. One of the recipients, the city of Aspen, also used the funds to remove fruit trees from highly trafficked areas.

In recent years, climate conditions have impacted bear’s natural forage forcing them into more urban areas to find food sources. However, not only does the recent conflict between bears and humans lead to property damage, but habituating animals often face dire and lethal consequences. 

Parks and Wildlife will relocate bears that pose a safety concern as long as the bear’s behavior has not elevated to a dangerous level. However, once a bear habituates to human-related food sources like trash, even relocation can fail to alter behavior. Habituated bears can become aggressive as they become conditioned to human food sources, and it can be bad for their health. Parks and Wildlife can also turn to euthanization in escalated conflict situations.

In 2024, 68 bears were relocated and 98 were euthanized. This was up from 33 relocated and 63 euthanized in 2023.