KEEPING BEARS ALIVE AND YOU SAFE!!!! A FED BEAR IS A DEAD BEAR!!!
This information is presented to All Homeowners, Guests, and Businesses in the Village of Taos Ski Valley
Black Bears are known to roam freely in the Village of Taos Ski Valley during Spring, Summer, and Fall. This notice is to remind you to please adhere to the following:
 GARBAGE: Store garbage in your home or in an approved bear-proof container. DO NOT put garbage outside for the night. DO NOT put garbage or food inside your vehicles. A Trash Compactor is available for your use at the Sewer Plant on Ocean Blvd.
 Call 575-776-8220 if you have questions as to the location and how it works. Make sure the compactor door is LOCKED before you leave.
NON-BEAR PROOF CONTAINERS OUTSIDE YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS IS A DIRECT VIOLATION OF THE VILLAGE OF TAOS SKI VALLEY ORDINANCE 2011-49 AND YOU WILL BE FINED ACCORDINGLY.
 Pet Food – feed pets indoors. DO NOT store pet food outside. Bird Feeders – DO NOT put hummingbird feeders or any other bird food outside where bears can reach them.
 DO NOT leave the doors to your home open. Close garage doors at night.
 DO NOT provide compost piles of food for “the little critters.” You are feeding the big ones too.
 BARBECUES: Clean them after each use. Bears will lick the grease off your grill.
Bears are NOT afraid of you. Once a bear finds food on your property, he/she will keep coming back. No panic is necessary, but by using a little common sense, we can all exist in the forest together, with no one getting hurt, including the bear.
 Close Encounters: Don’t Run. If you come across a bear, stay calm and slowly back away while continuing to face the animal and avoiding direct eye contact. Make yourself BIG. Hold out your arms, stand tall, yell, whistle.
 Don’t mess with Mama: Never, ever, get between a mother and her cubs.
 Never offer food to a bear. If you are attacked, fight back aggressively. Do not play dead.
Homeowners, please make certain you provide this document to your renters and your guests.
Published by the Village of Taos Ski Valley Public Safety Committee.