CPW Opens $1M Human-Bear Grants After Notable Dolores Bear Activity

The grant program allows applicants to request between $50,000 and $500,000 as reported by media outlets, and CPW’s program page lists eligible applicants including tribes, counties, cities, towns, landowners, parks departments, businesses, nonprofits and universities. CPW lists Travis Long as the grant manager for application questions; reporting shows his contact as travis.long@state.co.us, and the agency notes that “Application assistance is available.” Travis Long said, “Reducing human‑bear conflict requires a collective effort, and this grant program serves as a catalyst for that work. We are seeing a real shift in how communities are minimizing bear interactions, using these funds to implement practical, high‑impact projects that result in substantial strides for public safety and wildlife conservation alike.”

Statewide data and climate context frame the urgency CPW describes: 9News reported CPW estimates Colorado has 17,000 to 20,000 bears and that wildlife managers received more than 32,212 reported sightings and conflicts from 2019 through 2025. Gov. Jared Polis said, “Living successfully and safely alongside our wildlife is an important part of who we are in Colorado. These grants will help prevent potentially dangerous conflicts between bears and humans, ensuring we all can enjoy Colorado’s high quality of life, especially in our high country. These investments are an important tool to keep us and wildlife safe and prevent property damage.” CPW public information officer John Livingston warned that “with the lack of winter moisture and snowpack at both high and low elevations, we will really need a lot of spring moisture and to avoid a spring freeze if conditions have any chance of being good for our bears this year,” and added, “We are really going to need people to be diligent about securing trash and attractants around their homes to limit conflict as much as possible.”