Neighborhood food pantry faces closure due to bear management regulations
Michael Logerwell
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – A neighborhood food pantry is facing potential closure after the City of Colorado Springs says it poses a safety risk in a designated bear management area.
The outdoor pantry is located off of Rockrimmon Road on the west side of Colorado Springs.
The city says the pantry is in violation of bear codes, saying the food could attract danger to the quiet residential area.
When SNAP benefits were in limbo due to the fall government shutdown, K Harris and her husband wanted to help their neighbors and provide a blanket of food security.
Harris says even after snap benefits were reinstated, the pantry has remained in high demand. Harris said she restocked it the first time, but since then, community donations have kept the pantry full.
“The gratitude has been off the charts. People are like, thank you so much. My family is, you know, so grateful. I’ve had people leave handwritten notes,” said K Harris.
Harris says it’s been all positive feedback from her community, which left her even more shocked when a code enforcement officer told her she needed to shut it down because the pantry sits in a bear management area.
“The notice basically says that when you’re in the bear management area, you can’t have food waste outside, you know, your trash cans, things like that. But we don’t feel like that applies to the pantry…We don’t feel like that applies to packaged food because all of the stuff is not waste,” says Harris.
According to a copy of the complaint Harris posted on the pantry’s website, a neighbor had complained to the city that the pantry was bringing homeless people into the area. The tipster wrote that they were concerned about the safety of nearby children.
That report led the city to look into bear management area codes.
But rather than shutting down Harris and her husband made upgrades. Installing a gate on the pantry and latch-lock, in addition to a sign reading “no bears allowed.”
“I do think it’s bear safe. I mean, I don’t think-I think it would have to be an extremely, extremely determined bear. It would have to tear down my fence in order to be able to get into that pantry,” Harris said.
When asked about the code violations, a spokesperson for Colorado Springs said,
“The City of Colorado Springs supports community efforts to help neighbors in need, while also having a responsibility to protect public safety, wildlife, and residents. In this case, the property is located within the City’s Bear Management Area, which was established due to frequent and dangerous encounters between bears and unsecured food sources.
Under City Code, food and other attractants stored outdoors in the Bear Management Area must be secured in bear-resistant containers or structures. Unsecured food, regardless of intent, can attract bears into residential neighborhoods, increasing the risk of property damage, human injury, and the eventual harm or euthanasia of wildlife. These requirements are in place to protect residents, visitors, and wildlife alike.
Neighborhood Services responds to reported concerns by evaluating conditions against the City Code and educating property owners on compliance. The citation issued in this situation was based on the presence of unsecured attractants, consistent with the requirements of the Bear Management Area regulations. At the same time, the City recognizes the importance of understanding the broader context of community-based food assistance efforts. A staff member from the City’s Housing and Homelessness Response team will be reaching out to the resident to learn more about the food pantry and to explore appropriate, safe options that align with City regulations while supporting community needs.
More information about the Bear Management Area and why securing food is critical in bear-active areas is available at ColoradoSprings.gov/Bears.”