As suburbia swells into wild country throughout the
West, conflicts between humans and wildlife increase: Deer graze in
gardens and dogs lope into the hills after packs of singing
coyotes. Occasionally, a black bear wanders close to a subdivision
or a mountain lion lunges for someone’s pet. To keep such
inevitable encounters as positive as possible, the Colorado
Division of Wildlife has published a brief guide, Developing With
Wildlife In Mind. It encourages planners to take wildlife into
account when designing new communities so that conflict can be
minimized. It also offers residents a few precautions for avoiding
trouble with wild animals. Recommendations include clustering
development to preserve large parcels of wildlife habitat, steering
clear of riparian zones, landscaping with native plants and keeping
trash away from scavengers. For a free copy of the 4-page brochure,
call the Colorado Division of Wildlife at
303/291-7227.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Living with wildlife.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
