Trampling car hoods and breaking into houses, bears have been at it again this summer in Durango . But city officials say a new law is doing some good in reducing the food available in town.

Bear Smart Durango's Bryan Peterson said foraging bears have calmed since this month's monsoons helped sprout new natural food outside town. But it was a crazy June and July.

"The bears were scrambling," he said.

Since June 1, when the city's law went into effect, the city has written 128 warning notices and six citations, which come with a fine of $50.

Director of General Services Roy Peterson said he thinks the ordinance is working.

"It's just taking its time," he said.

The ordinance requires residents to store their trash in a way that does not allow wildlife to access it. If a resident's trash is scattered by wildlife, the city sends a warning, and the resident has 24 hours to clean it up. The city also may require the resident to buy a wildlife-resistant container.

A first citation for scattered trash comes after one warning and includes the $50 fine. Second and subsequent violations carry a fine of $100. Nobody has received a second citation yet, according to the city.

The city sends notices by mail with a photo of the resident's scattered trash. Warning tickets include advice for securing garbage and advertise the city's wildlife-resistant trash-can rental program.

Bryan Peterson said Bear Smart has received 481 reports of bears interfering with trash cans since June 1. The Colorado Division of Wildlife has killed three bears in the Durango area, one at the Manna Soup Kitchen after it bit a sleeping man. Four sows with cubs have been trapped and released.

The increase in bear activity makes the city's new trash ordinance seem well-timed. The rule is aimed at keeping bears out of town by punishing residents who repeatedly fail to secure their garbage.

The ordinance is the city's first attempt at keeping wildlife out of town. It passed 4-1 on its final reading in May after several months of study and often-heated meetings.

Councilor Paul Broderick voted against the ordinance because he didn't think it would be effective. Other councilors acknowledged the rule might lack teeth with the city's Code Enforcement Division, which is short-staffed because of budget cuts.

The council debated whether to impose time-of-placement guidelines to keep cans away from the curb on noncollection days. But in the end, it approved a law that doesn't kick in until an animal interferes with a resident's trash.

The city has leased or sold 263 wildlife-resistant cans to residents and business owners, 45 since the trash law went into effect. Both residential and commercial cans cost $4 a month. Residents can choose either a 60-gallon or a 90-gallon can.

Manna Soup Kitchen, east of Greenmount Cemetery , recently upgraded its trash can to a metal container with a sliding door. Director Sarah Comerford said the nonprofit hasn't had the same bear problem this summer, in spite of heavy bear activity nearby.

"We're always sure that thing is closed now," she said.

Since the ordinance went into effect, code enforcement officers and Bryan Peterson have patrolled alleys and trouble spots looking for scattered trash between 6:30 and 7:30 a.m. Monday through Friday.

Code Enforcement Officer Steve Barkley said most violations occur on the western edges of town, in the Crestview neighborhood and along West Second Avenue north to 32nd Street .

Citations are municipal law violations similar to parking tickets. Violators may appeal them to the city manager, but Barkley said when a resident gets "hit," there's often little to say.

"A vast majority are coming to own wildlife-resistant cans without much of a fight. It's hard to argue when you see a picture of your trash spread 50 feet down the street," he said.

City parks with known bear problems now have wildlife-proof cans, said City Manager Ron LeBlanc. But the uncovered cans that line Main Avenue will be wildlife-proofed only if bears find them.

"The ordinance was written from the perspective that you are responsible for your trash. So until you get bears, you can do what you want to with it," LeBlanc said.

Patt Dorsey, area wildlife manager for the Colorado Division of Wildlife, said "really tiny changes" - such as those mandated by the city's trash ordinance - can have a significant impact on bear behavior. She said the division often doesn't have many options if a hungry bear has found a stable food supply in unsecured trash.

"We don't relocate a bear if the problem is trash left out," she said.

Bryan Peterson said the ordinance is a good first step, though bears still find plenty of trash to raid in town.

"It's helping, even if it's just a little bit. Any amount of bear-proofing is worth it," he said.

Editor's Note: For further information regarding bear proof garbage garbage storage, click here...