Silver City, NM, July 1, 2019—For Immediate Release. The Gila National Forest has received a few reports of bears tracks around Little Walnut and Signal Peak. Communities in the wildland urban interface are sharing space with a variety of wildlife; including snakes, bears, mountain lions, deer, elk, and many more species.
Reminder: as grasses and water sources dry out, prey animals, such as deer and elk, move to lower levels searching for forage and water, and this brings large predators down to lower levels looking for food and water as well. Your safety, and the welfare of the wildlife population, are important to the Gila National Forest and to the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish (NMDGF)
Quick reminders for visitors to the Gila National Forest:
- Do not feed your pets outside
- Avoid leaving large amounts of standing water outside.
- All trash should either be in an enclosed area or in a bear-proof container.
- If you are hiking on forest, be aware of your surroundings and carry bear spray.
NMDGF has several publications, which are available on on-line and at the Gila NF’s ranger stations, on “Living with Large Predators in New Mexico” and “Keeping Bears Alive and Yourself Safe.”
http://www.wildlife.state.nm.us/download/publications/wildlife/Keeping-Bears-Alive-and-You-Safe.pdf
For information on the Gila National Forest, check out our website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/gila.