Media Tip Sheet: Experts on Black Bears Problems in Colorado

Note to Editors: In light of the recent problems with bear activity in western Colorado, Colorado State University is providing the following list of experts who can speak on the topic. They are part of a collaborative effort between the Colorado Division of Wildlife and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildfire Services’ National Wildlife Research Center on a five-year study on black bears in Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley near Glenwood Springs and Aspen. The contact information is intended for reporter use only and is not for publication.

Black bear behavior

Sharon Baruch-Mordo, Colorado State doctorate graduate research assistant of ecology, is currently conducting black bear behavior field work in the Roaring Fork Valley. She has extensive experience in trapping, marking and tracking the movements of black bears. She can also discuss preliminary findings about black bear and human interactions including movements of bears in rural mountain towns, such as Aspen. She is available to discuss the pattern of black bear conflicts across the state based on a Colorado Division of Wildlife 15-year database that was the focus of her master’s degree research. To speak with Baruch-Mordo, contact Kimberly Sorensen at (970) 491-0757 or Kimberly.Sorensen@colostate.edu.

Ken Wilson, head of the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology at Colorado State, can also discuss the preliminary findings from the five-year collaborative study. To speak with Wilson, contact Kimberly Sorensen at (970) 491-0757 or Kimberly.Sorensen@colostate.edu.

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