Southwest Colorado is living through a bear crisis this year, and Naomi says fixing it means looking at bear management, not just human behavior.
In a new op-ed published in the Rocky Mountain Voice, Naomi points out that drought and a late-spring freeze wiped out natural bear food sources across the region this year. Statewide, CPW has logged more than 8,600 bear-related sightings and incidents through August, well above the five-year average, with bear relocations and euthanizations climbing sharply as a result.
Naomi highlights how much has changed since Colorado voters banned spring bear hunting in 1992. The state’s black bear population has grown from an estimated 8,000 to 12,000 bears then to roughly 17,000 to 20,000 today, while House District 59’s population has grown by about 77% over the same span. She supports HB26-1342, which stiffens penalties for people who knowingly attract bears with food or trash, but argues tougher enforcement only addresses one side of the equation.
Her op-ed calls for giving CPW’s wildlife biologists and scientists the authority and resources to reassess bear management strategies using the full range of science-based tools, rather than treating any single option as off the table. She argues that evidence and professional expertise, not predetermined conclusions, should guide the conversation as conditions on the ground keep shifting.
Naomi’s bottom line: more bears, more people, and a rough year for natural food sources add up to a moment to ask whether current wildlife management strategies are still working, and to let CPW’s own experts help answer that.
Learn more about Naomi’s priorities for Southwest Colorado.
Naomi Riess, Candidate for Colorado House District 59
This op-ed originally appeared in the Rocky Mountain Voice.