High Points: Conflicted

It is a sign of the times, I guess, but I was pained to see the story in this week’s Snowmass Sun about the conflicts between Halloween and our local animals. Two of my favorite things.

It all made sense, of course. Especially the part about keeping your pumpkins inside, so the bears aren’t tempted to gorge on your jack-o’-lantern as they beef up for the long winter’s hibernation to come.

Earlier this month, Colorado Parks and Wildlife issued a press release, warning of the dangers posed by bears when pumpkins are left outside.

“CPW has already seen incidents of bears in front yards devouring pumpkins and even bears in front of grocery stores feasting on the gourds,” the release read. “Pumpkins are a high-calorie treat for bears and are loaded with fiber, minerals and vitamins, and bears accessing pumpkins put out by people can lead to preventable human-bear conflicts.”

Not only that, it was also noted that pumpkins attract deer as well, and that can lead to mountain lions, who are seeking out deer as prey.

I have never heard that pumpkins are bear bait before, but photos and videos are popping up of pumpkins actually being consumed outside of supermarkets. We likely all have seen the video of the bear at the Aspen Saturday Market not long ago chowing down on the baked goods. Now it seems pumpkins are fall fodder for our furry friends.

I, like you, have seen my fair share of bears this season. Last week, at around 4 p.m. on a sunny afternoon, a rather large bear strolled outside on the street adjacent to the Aspen Community Jewish Center looking for all the world like he owned the place. It was obvious he was comfortable with his surroundings. The photos of the bears climbing trees have become so ubiquitous that people don’t even bother taking them anymore.

I am fastidious about not leaving any trash outside and have not been using my grill all summer. I don’t eat in my car or ever leave groceries overnight. I guess you can say I am bear-aware. That goes back to the time I had a bear as a guest in my home.

It was in the early 2000s, and we had just come back from an extended trip. When we returned and walked into the house, we heard an electronic beeping. As we crept up the stairs, it became clear the sound was coming from the refrigerator. There were a series of scratch marks on the exterior of the stainless-steel door, which was wide open, and the light from the fridge shined eerily into the kitchen.

We rounded the corner, and there, on the floor, was a wrapper from some cheese.

It seems that sometime during our absence, a bear had crawled in through a lower awning window that had been left open inadvertently. Though we did not like the idea of a bear having been in the house, we were most impressed with his/her manners. The bear had walked straight to the fridge, ignoring the adjacent pantry where it might have gorged a jar of honey, and opened the cheese drawer, emptying it of its contents. Then he politely exited through the same window he entered before taking a bear-sized dump on the exterior patio. All things considered, we felt the bear had impeccable manners.

Now I’m just glad we didn’t have any pumpkins.