Let's protect our wildlife

Editor: Wednesday night, another bear was killed attempting to cross Highway 82, leaving yet another orphaned cub behind. Bears should not be milling around downtown Aspen. They should be in the forest, away from humans. Garfield County has reported that 89 bears have been killed by vehicles this year. This spring and summer's severe drought reduced natural food supplies and pushed bears toward human sources of food. But we humans also bear responsibility. We have built communities and highways through their habitat. We continue to send thousands of vehicles down Highway 82 every day with little protection for the animals trying to move through the valley. Bear-resistant trash containers are important, but they are not enough. Why aren't we aggressively planting fruit-bearing trees, shrubs and other appropriate native food sources along irrigation corridors and in suitable rural and forest habitat to mitigate another drought-caused food shortage that climate change assures us will occur.