Who We Are - Roaring Fork Valley Bear Coalition

Roaring Fork Valley Bear Coalition, a 501(c)(3) proactive volunteer-based non-profit, is dedicated to reducing human-bear conflicts over a 50-mile corridor. Our citizen groups respond to community needs by reducing attractants, educating residents, and working alongside stakeholders: CPW, municipalities & trash-haulers to achieve common community goals, enforcement and actions that protect black bears. Join us, rally your communities, become solution-based!

Daniela Kohl founded Roaring Fork Bears in 2019 as a part-time resident for over 21 years. Her love and support for bears comes from her childhood growing up in Switzerland and France where she enjoyed hiking, mountain climbing and Nordic ski skating, biathlon and target shooting. There were not too many bears but the occasional European Syrian brown bear was spotted in the Alps between Austria, Italy, France and Switzerland.

In 2014, Daniela became deeply involved in rescuing a tiny grizzly bear cub from a roadside zoo used for photo ops and pay-to-play sessions in South Florida. This was the beginning of her hands-on involvement with bears and when she started actively working with a Florida bear protection advocacy group. She experienced the positive impact that raising awareness and retrofitting trash cans could have on reducing human-bear conflicts. These successes were a major influence on starting her own bear protection grassroots movement desperately needed in the Roaring Fork Valley, Glenwood Springs and the City of Aspen where bear conflicts were increasing due to urban sprawl and outdoor recreational activities.

Roaring Fork Bears is proud to support the Pauline S. Schneegas Wildlife Foundation and its founder Nanci Limbach. visit their website.

Joining the International Association for Bear Research and Management (IBA) in 2016 has extended friendships and knowledge. New research includes information about bear behavior, biology, research, living and recreating in bear country etc. This knowledge also connected her with some of the best bear biologists and researchers and these experts continue to provide wonderful support and great advice to RFB. (International Association for Bear Research and Management).

Roaring Fork Bears is consistently working on innovative ways and solutions to get the public more engaged to coexist peacefully with our beautiful black bears. Our work happens in many ways: connecting with local government agencies, endorsing proper enforcement and finding effective waste management systems that keep bears protected and people safe.

We have found that working with Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) on “Bear-Aware” programs to better understand their responsibilities and policies as well as connecting with communities and partnering with cities, towns, municipalities are of key importance.

We provide educational Bear Aware and BearWise® materials as a Bear Care KIT which includes bilingual door hangers, magnet, bear whistle and bears straps which deter bears and a first step towards buying a BRC.

A local scout, Nate Thomas, made these efforts the focus of his Eagle Scout

project in 2019-20, and now we have an exclusive collaboration of BSA Aspen Troop 201.

We encourage residents to buy a bear resistant trash container (BRC).

We know that bears are highly evolved, altruistic and sentient with the intelligence of the great apes. The bears have family units and are known to share territory of food sources with unrelated bears. As a larger community maybe we can find a peaceful and respectful way to coexist with these amazing complex creatures. As an organization, we are committed to helping our community members learn more and set an example for everyone that lives or recreates in bear country.

Please consider becoming a donor to our grassroots efforts.

Volunteers

Lyn Bair

Lyn is a public educator and has been a teacher or principal long enough to teach children of her first students. She has been involved with Scouts, BSA serving in many positions from local units to national positions and is currently the Three Rivers District Chair. Lyn is a published author with books or articles in Art History, Religious Studies and Education. She enjoys being with her family playing outdoors or giving back to her community.

Mike Bair

Scoutmaster Michael Bair has been instrumental in creating awareness in many aspects of Roaring Fork Bears, Michael is 6th generation in the Roaring Fork Valley and longtime outdoor enthusiast and is conservation minded. His understanding and commitment to the valley are great assets to our bear group. To date with Michael’s leadership we have retro-fitted hundreds of cans into bear resistant ones for communities in mobile homes and residents in the Roaring Fork Valley.”

If you would like to support our efforts, please donate to our cause today.

Send checks to P.O.Box 932, Carbondale, CO 81623.
Or call Daniela directly for more information.