a local nonprofit, loaned the mat to the home’s resident. Photo by Daniela Kohl
The Roaring Fork Valley Bear Coalition is loaning electrified “bear-deterrent mats” to valley residents struggling with repeated ursine intrusions.
The volunteer-based nonprofit coalition, which works to reduce human-bear conflicts, loans the mats free of charge. Users place the black and silver devices in front of bears’ entry points (usually doors). Bears receive a millisecond shock burst if they step on the mats. The shock is painful but does not injure the bear, according to the mat’s manufacturer, Bear-ier Solutions.
“Bears don’t like electricity,” said coalition board member Daniela Kohl. “You can have it as a doormat, and you just plug it in at night, and then during the day you turn it off.”
Kohl said mat users typically borrow the devices for about a month — the time typically necessary for the bears to learn not to enter a house. After a series of electric encounters, Kohl said the bears usually leave a house alone.
Jodi Puder, who recently moved into a new home in the Aspen Junction area near Basalt, said she borrowed a mat and began using it about two weeks ago. Puder said a neighbor told her that a bear had broken into her new house three times before she moved in. When she arrived at the home, she saw the bear in her driveway.
“I freaked out on the night I drove in. This bear was the biggest bear I’ve ever seen. And (neighbors) said that he’s been roaming around that area,” Puder said.
She placed the mat outside the door leading to her garage — reportedly the bear’s typical entry point — and she hasn’t had an intrusion since then. She hasn’t witnessed the bear stepping on the mat, but she said having the device has made her feel more secure.
Puder said her curious daughter stepped on the mat to test it out.
“I guess it was more than she thought it would be, but she was fine. It’s enough to deter a bear for sure,” Puder said, adding that she didn’t know what kind of footwear her daughter was wearing, if any.
The mats come with warning signs that users can put up when the mat is turned on.
Puder confirmed she did not have to pay anything to borrow the mat. She said she is considering purchasing one of the mats directly from the manufacturer.
This spring and summer, Kohl said she has received a surprising number of bear-related calls from downvalley areas.
“It started around the end of April, beginning of May, and then it was non-stop,” Kohl said.
She urged Roaring Fork and Colorado River Valley residents to be mindful of bear interactions when disposing of waste and looking after their properties. She especially urged residents to contact wildlife officials as soon as possible after repeat bear sightings.
If residents hesitate, Kohl said the bear can lean into problematic behavior until officials may need to euthanize it.
“I see people hesitating,” Kohl said. “There’s a tagged bear, and it’s going to be tagged again. They kind of let it be for two weeks, the bear is usually there, and they want nice videos. It’s like a kiss of death.”
For more information about bear mats and reducing human-bruin conflicts, visit roaringforkbears.org.