Pitkin County, CPW weigh electric fencing and other measures for landfill bear problem

Colorado Parks and Wildlife staff told the Pitkin County Board of County Commissioners on July 1 that electric fencing could reduce bear activity at the county landfill but is not a guaranteed, permanent solution and would require ongoing maintenance and complementary community measures.

The discussion matters because the landfill has been a recurring attractant for bears and commissioners are redesigning the facility. County officials invited CPW staff to describe management options so they can factor wildlife risk into long‑term landfill planning.

Matt Yamashita, area wildlife manager for Colorado Parks and Wildlife out of Glenwood Springs, said the agency provides electric fencing materials for some agricultural uses and recognizes fencing as “a reasonable solution to some problems,” but cautioned it is not a silver bullet. “There’s probably some costs associated with it that probably need to be explored,” Yamashita said, adding that vegetation and debris can ground hot wire systems and render them ineffective.

Curtis Tesch, district wildlife manager for the Upper Roaring Fork Valley, and John Groves, assistant area wildlife manager, joined the briefing. CPW staff described three practical limits to fencing: upfront installation cost, maintenance demands, and the likelihood that in years of scarce natural food, desperate bears can breach even hot‑wire barriers. Yamashita told commissioners that even “electric fences, they’ll find their way. They will persevere, and they will break through hot wire fences.”

Commissioners pressed for recommendations the county could adopt while the landfill is reconstructed. Commissioner Postman said the county has time because the landfill work is ongoing and asked whether CPW considered other best practices used elsewhere. Yamashita said there is no single, proven statewide solution and urged a mix of approaches: physical barriers where feasible, operational practices at the landfill, and community measures such as stricter trash management and public education.

Commissioner Clapper and others emphasized the role of household behaviors — bird feeders, unsecured trash and short‑term rentals — in sustaining human–bear conflict across the valley. CPW staff urged coordinated, valley‑wide efforts and noted that landfill improvements should not be the only focus. “If you fence them out of there, those bears have to go somewhere else,” Groves warned.

The commissioners asked CPW to continue advising as county staff refine landfill designs and explore pilot options such as fencing around specific areas (for example the compost pile) and to prepare a menu of measures with estimated costs and maintenance requirements. No formal county action was taken at the meeting; commissioners directed staff to continue collaboration with CPW and other stakeholders.

Ending: Commissioners said they will ask county staff and CPW to develop specific cost and maintenance estimates and to bring options back for consideration as the landfill redesign proceeds.