Durango residents will soon see seven bear‑resistant metal trash containers installed at high‑traffic bus stops, a step the city says will help curb human‑bear conflicts that have plagued La Plata, Archuleta and Montezuma counties.
According to the City of Durango, the containers are part of a regional effort coordinated by two local nonprofit groups—The Good Food Collective and Bear Smart Durango—along with municipal partners and Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The groups applied for the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Human‑Bear Conflict Reduction grant, which the state awarded for $44,000 to purchase the cans.
The city matched the grant with $4,200, while the Mancos School District contributed $7,000 toward an additional 19 cans for the broader region. The combined funding will cover the cost of the seven cans slated for Durango and support the larger network of containers across neighboring counties.
Project partners identified unsecured trash, fruit trees, crops and other human‑provided food sources as the primary attractants drawing bears into residential and commercial areas. Agency data show that trash is linked to 57% of property‑damage reports involving bears in the region.
La Plata County, which includes Durango, has been a hotspot for bear‑related incidents. In 2025 the county led Colorado in total bear reports, with 53 bears dying in human‑caused conflicts. Nearly half of resident reports cited trash as the human‑food attractant, and the county also recorded the highest numbers of bear‑and‑trash reports, chicken and fruit‑tree incidents, orphaned cubs, relocations and euthanizations.
The new bear‑resistant cans will be placed at the following bus‑stop locations:
- Durango Recreation Center (Main Avenue trolley route)
- Ptarmigan Center (Fort Lewis route)
- Turner Drive and Sawyer Drive (Walmart route)
- East Second Street and Eighth Avenue (Walmart route)
- College Drive and Fourth Avenue (Fort Lewis and Walmart routes)
- Two additional cans at Walmart
City officials encourage residents to continue living responsibly in bear country. For more information on best practices, the city directs readers to Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s website.
What’s next: The containers will be installed in the coming weeks, and the city will monitor bear activity to assess the impact of the new waste‑management measures.
Sources: durangoco.gov
