Black bear spotted in Niwot

Niwot is no stranger to wildlife occasionally roaming into this neck of the woods every now and then. There have been recent sightings of lynx, bobcats, foxes, deer, raccoons, snakes, prairie dogs, and even bears.

While this is not the first instance of a bear making its way into Niwot, it surely is the furthest east that we know of. There have been several bear sightings in the Lake Valley area, closer to the foothills. And there was a bear on the railroad tracks across from IBM during daylight hours several years ago.

And in 2013, a bear caused Niwot High School and Niwot Elementary School to go into lockdown briefly while officials from the Colorado Division of Wildlife monitored his whereabouts near the intersection of Niwot Road and Franklin Street.

On July 8, a local trail-walker witnessed a black bear on the path behind Niwot High School. "I'd better stop," said Bob Breyer of Morton Heights as he saw the bear come out of the bushes. "It wasn't a huge bear, and fortunately I saw it before he saw me," Breyer said. "Once he did see me he ran the other way into the ditch."

Before that, reports were coming in that the bear was seen roaming around in backyards in the Overbrook neighborhood near Niwot High School. "The bear walked across the path behind our house, came over the bridge, and strolled across the other side of our fence," said Dave Limbach, a resident of the Overbrook neighborhood. He spotted the bear later in the evening before it disappeared into the open space near the creek.

At about this time last year, residents of the same neighborhood had a similar experience with a black bear that was rummaging through trash cans. It isn't known if that was the same bear. Similar sightings have occurred in Lake Valley Estates, including a bear, several bobcats, foxes and even a badger.

With increased land development, animals are becoming less fearful of people and reclaiming their land as they look for new places to live. There are certain sanctions in place to prevent further deforestation and to maintain some wildlife habitats, but people should be aware of these potential interactions.

Other reports have claimed that there is an increase in prairie dogs appearing in residential areas significantly away from the preservation area near the Monarch Trailhead of the Niwot Loop Trail. Prairie dogs have been known to carry fleas that carry the plague.

With these increased sightings, the Colorado Division of Wildlife asks residents to be mindful of your pets, children, and yourselves when walking around nature. If you do see wildlife, do not engage with or startle the animal. Do your best to give it space and back away. Keep yourself, loved ones, and the wildlife safe. Please be sure to keep your trash cans locked as well.

Contact the Colorado Division of Wildlife at (303) 291-7227 or the Lakewood Animal Control Center at (303) 987-7173 if you do encounter these animals in your residential area.

For more information on Colorado wildlife, visit the Colorado Parks and Wildlife website at https://cpw.state.co.us/.