DENVER — An uptick in bear sightings this year has made for a very different start to the school year for students in the Cherry Creek School District.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife data showing there have been more than 6,000 bear sightings so far this year — nearly double last year's numbers.
District Wildlife Manager Demetria Wright telling our Denver7 team this year's drought and wildfires have decimated the animals' food supply.
It’s only the second week of school for the district and officials say there have already been eight notifications sent out to multiple schools of bear sightings near schools.
Lauren Snell, a spokesperson for the district calling the activity, “not normal”.
“Last year we never had any bear sightings near any of our 66 schools,” she said.
“Whenever we hear of a bear sighting near a school, we make sure that all students and staff are inside the buildings, and we try to have everyone stay inside until we get the all clear from any authorities to make sure that the bear is far enough away from our schools,” she described.
Below is a list of schools in the district that have received notifications of bears in the area:
8/17: Cherry Creek High School, Belleview Elementary, High Plains Elementary, Cottonwood Creek Elementary, Walnut Hills Elementary
8/21: Walnut Hills Elementary (Delayed Dismissal)
8/25: Greenwood Elementary
Those safety measures was not something Cherry Creek High School Junior, IV Collier, expected on their first day of school, Monday August 17th.
“We had to go on a secure perimeter, and because there was a bear sighted near our school, and it really wasn't very scary at all because it like secure perimeters. We just stay inside. We got all our schoolwork done, but it was just really strange,” they remembered.
Collier says in their three years of being at the school, this was something they’ve never experienced.
“I've never even heard a bear coming down here,” they exclaimed.
“We've had possums on campus before and skunks, but a whole bear is very very unlikely,” they added.
Collier is also part of a class working on a story that is quite timely, studying why bears are being seen in the area.
“I really hope we can figure out a way to make the natural environment for bears better for them, so that they can have a thriving ecosystem,” they added.
There was a recent bear sighting on August 24th in Denver's Platt Park neighborhood where officials were able to get the 1.5-year-old, 100-pound male black bear down and returned to a safer habitat. A CPW spokesperson said the bear was likely looking for food.
"The lack of snowpack from the winter last year created just a scarcity of resources for bears in the wild," CPW Northeast Region spokeswoman Kara Van Hoose told Denver7 on August 24th. "So we're seeing them just in record numbers coming into our neighborhoods, into suburban and urban areas, still looking for food.”
Snell sharing some tips from local officials that have been sent out to schools in the district:
· Never approach a bear. Remain calm, give it plenty of space and make sure it has a clear way to leave. If you need to move away, back away slowly. Never run or climb a tree.
· Avoid surprising bears, particularly around dawn and dusk. Speak in a calm, firm voice to make the bear aware of your presence.
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