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CU Boulder

Black bear in a tree near the engineering complex prompts an advisory to avoid the area

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Confirmed Threat

On the morning of September 12, 2023, a black bear was spotted in a tree on the northwest side of CU Boulder's Engineering Center next to the Math building, prompting a CU Advisory to avoid the area. CU Boulder Police and Colorado Parks and Wildlife roped off the area while the bear came down and safely left campus.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
University of Colorado Boulder
Public R1 · CO
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~39,000 studentsCU Boulder Alerts
Official alert policy
Read when and how CU Boulder says it will use CU Boulder Alerts: summarized, quoted, and analyzed.
Documented Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence · 2 verified verbatim

INITIAL ALERTWebsite
Verified verbatimCU Boulder Alerts archived advisory page (alerts.colorado.edu)230 chars
CU Advisory: Bear spotted in tree near Engineering, avoid area CU Boulder Police and Colorado Parks and Wildlife roped off an area on the northwest side of the Engineering Center next to the Math Building due to a bear in a tree.
The headline 'CU Advisory: Bear spotted in tree near Engineering, avoid area' is the exact title of the CU Boulder Alerts post, and the body sentence is the exact text of the archived advisory, confirmed via exact-phrase matches against the official page.
The advisory body is a single past-tense sentence describing the rope-off rather than an imperative instruction, an unusually terse construction even for a lowest-tier advisory.
Posted as a CU Advisory, the campus's lowest-tier discretionary notification, consistent with a wildlife sighting that is not a Clery crime.
ALL CLEARWebsite
Verified verbatimClosing update line on the CU Boulder Alerts archived advisory page31 chars
CUPD and CPW cleared the scene.
The exact closing update on the official advisory page is a five-word agency shorthand ('CUPD and CPW cleared the scene.'), confirmed via an exact-phrase match against alerts.colorado.edu.
Functions as the all-clear because clearing the scene ended the rope-off, even though the update never uses the words 'all clear' or explicitly reopens the area.
The bear leaving on its own, rather than being tranquilized, is why no wildlife-capture follow-up appears in the sequence.
Message elements

How the first alert is built

To check this alert, Claude (an AI) read it in full 25 separate times, independently. Each read decided whether the message answers each of the six questions and gave a short reason. A final reviewer then weighed all 25 and wrote the plain-English verdict you see when you open a row. The score (for example 22/25) is how many reads agreed; the 25 individual reads are tucked underneath if you want to check them.

CU Advisory: Bear spotted in tree near Engineering, avoid area CU Boulder Police and Colorado Parks and Wildlife roped off an area on the northwest side of the Engineering Center next to the Math Building due to a bear in a tree.

  • Sourcepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Unanimous: the branded CU Advisory names CU Boulder Police and Colorado Parks and Wildlife, identifying the sender.

    Who is sending the alert and who is responding. People act faster on a message from a clearly identifiable, credible sender, such as a named department, the police, or a branded alert system, than on an anonymous notice. A branded signature counts.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Branded "CU Advisory" and names "CU Boulder Police and Colorado Parks and Wildlife".
    2. present: It opens "CU Advisory" and names "CU Boulder Police" and Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
    3. present: Branded "CU Advisory" and "CU Boulder Police" identify the sender and authority.
    4. present: The branded tag "CU Advisory" and "CU Boulder Police" identify sender and authority.
    5. present: Opens with "CU Advisory" branding and names "CU Boulder Police" and "Colorado Parks and Wildlife".
    6. present: It opens with "CU Advisory" and names "CU Boulder Police" and "Colorado Parks and Wildlife".
    7. present: The branded "CU Advisory" tag and "CU Boulder Police" identify the sender and responder.
    8. present: Opens "CU Advisory" and names "CU Boulder Police and Colorado Parks and Wildlife".
    9. present: Branded "CU Advisory" and names "CU Boulder Police" and "Colorado Parks and Wildlife".
    10. present: It opens with the branded "CU Advisory" and names "CU Boulder Police" and "Colorado Parks and Wildlife".
    11. present: It names "CU Boulder Police" and "Colorado Parks and Wildlife".
    12. present: Branded "CU Advisory" plus "CU Boulder Police and Colorado Parks and Wildlife" identify the sender.
    13. present: Opens with "CU Advisory" and names "CU Boulder Police" and "Colorado Parks and Wildlife", the issuers.
    14. present: The branded "CU Advisory" and "CU Boulder Police" identify the sender and authority.
    15. present: The branded "CU Advisory" plus "CU Boulder Police and Colorado Parks and Wildlife" identifies the senders.
    16. present: Names "CU Boulder Police and Colorado Parks and Wildlife" with branded "CU Advisory".
    17. present: It references "CU Boulder Police and Colorado Parks and Wildlife".
    18. present: It names "CU Boulder Police and Colorado Parks and Wildlife", the responding authorities.
    19. present: It opens with "CU Advisory" and names "CU Boulder Police" and Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
    20. present: It names "CU Boulder Police and Colorado Parks and Wildlife", the responding authorities.
    21. present: Opens with branded "CU Advisory" and names "CU Boulder Police" and "Colorado Parks and Wildlife".
    22. present: Opens with "CU Advisory" and names "CU Boulder Police and Colorado Parks and Wildlife".
    23. present: The branded "CU Advisory" tag and "CU Boulder Police" identify the sender.
    24. present: It names "CU Boulder Police" and "Colorado Parks and Wildlife".
    25. present: It names "CU Boulder Police and Colorado Parks and Wildlife" as authorities.
  • Hazardpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Unanimous: it names a bear spotted in a tree, a specific wildlife hazard.

    What the threat actually is. A complete warning names the specific danger, such as a shooter, a fire, a tornado, or a gas leak, rather than a vague emergency, because people decide what to do based on what they are facing.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Names a "Bear spotted in tree", a specific wildlife hazard.
    2. present: It names "a bear in a tree", a specific hazard.
    3. present: Names a "Bear spotted in tree near Engineering", a specific wildlife hazard.
    4. present: It names "a bear in a tree", a specific hazard.
    5. present: States a "Bear spotted in tree", a specific animal hazard.
    6. present: It names "Bear spotted in tree near Engineering", a specific hazard.
    7. present: It reports a "Bear spotted in tree", a specific wildlife hazard.
    8. present: States a "Bear spotted in tree" and "a bear in a tree", a specific hazard.
    9. present: States a "Bear spotted in tree", a specific hazard.
    10. present: It names a "Bear spotted in tree", a specific hazard.
    11. present: It states "a bear in a tree", a specific animal hazard.
    12. present: Names a "Bear spotted in tree", a specific hazard.
    13. present: States a "Bear spotted in tree", a specific hazard.
    14. present: It names "a bear in a tree", a specific wildlife hazard.
    15. present: It names a "Bear spotted in tree", a specific hazard.
    16. present: Names a "Bear spotted in tree", a specific hazard.
    17. present: It names "a bear in a tree", a specific wildlife hazard.
    18. present: It names "a bear in a tree", a specific animal hazard.
    19. present: It reports a "Bear spotted in tree", a specific hazard.
    20. present: It reports "a bear in a tree", a specific named threat.
    21. present: States a "Bear spotted in tree", a specific wildlife hazard.
    22. present: Names "Bear spotted in tree", a specific hazard.
    23. present: It names a "Bear spotted in tree", a specific wildlife hazard.
    24. present: It names a "Bear spotted in tree", a specific wildlife hazard.
    25. present: It names "a bear in a tree", a specific animal hazard.
  • Locationpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Unanimous: it locates it near Engineering by the Math Building, a stated location.

    Where the threat is. Saying whether danger is in a specific building, a part of campus, or area-wide lets people judge their own proximity and choose a safe direction. Without a where, a warning is hard to act on precisely.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Locates it "near Engineering" and the "Engineering Center next to the Math Building".
    2. present: It says "near Engineering" and "the Engineering Center next to the Math Building", specific places.
    3. present: Specifies "near Engineering" and "the Math Building", named places.
    4. present: It cites "near Engineering" and "next to the Math Building", specific places.
    5. present: Says "near Engineering" and "the Math Building", specific places.
    6. present: It says "near the Engineering Center next to the Math Building", specific places.
    7. present: It specifies "near Engineering" and "the Engineering Center next to the Math Building", specific locations.
    8. present: Says "near Engineering" and "the northwest side of the Engineering Center", specific places.
    9. present: Locates it "near Engineering" and "the Engineering Center next to the Math Building".
    10. present: It says "near Engineering" and "the northwest side of the Engineering Center".
    11. present: It says "near Engineering" and "next to the Math Building".
    12. present: Locates it "near Engineering" and "the Math Building".
    13. present: Says "near Engineering" and "northwest side of the Engineering Center", specific locations.
    14. present: It locates it "near Engineering" on "the northwest side of the Engineering Center".
    15. present: It cites "near Engineering" and "the northwest side of the Engineering Center next to the Math Building", specific places.
    16. present: Says it is "near Engineering" on "the northwest side of the Engineering Center".
    17. present: It locates it "near the Engineering Center next to the Math Building".
    18. present: It locates it "near Engineering" and "the northwest side of the Engineering Center next to the Math Building".
    19. present: It locates it "near the Engineering Center next to the Math Building".
    20. present: It locates it "near Engineering" and "the Engineering Center next to the Math Building", specific places.
    21. present: Says "near Engineering" and "next to the Math Building", specific places.
    22. present: Specifies "near Engineering" and "the Math Building".
    23. present: It locates it "near Engineering" and "the northwest side of the Engineering Center".
    24. present: It names "near Engineering" and "next to the Math Building", specific places.
    25. present: It locates it "near Engineering" / "the Engineering Center next to the Math Building".
  • Guidancepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Unanimous: it instructs recipients to avoid the area, protective guidance.

    The protective action to take. A clear, specific instruction, such as shelter in place, evacuate, avoid the area, or run-hide-fight, drives faster and more correct protective behavior than describing the threat alone.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Instructs recipients to "avoid area".
    2. present: It instructs recipients to "avoid area".
    3. present: Instructs recipients to "avoid area".
    4. present: It instructs to "avoid area", a protective action.
    5. present: Instructs recipients to "avoid area".
    6. present: It instructs "avoid area".
    7. present: It instructs to "avoid area", a protective action.
    8. present: Instructs "avoid area", a protective action.
    9. present: Instructs to "avoid area".
    10. present: It instructs to "avoid area".
    11. present: It instructs recipients to "avoid area".
    12. present: Instructs recipients to "avoid area".
    13. present: Instructs to "avoid area", a protective action.
    14. present: It instructs recipients to "avoid area".
    15. present: It instructs recipients to "avoid area", a protective action.
    16. present: Instructs recipients to "avoid area".
    17. present: It instructs to "avoid area".
    18. present: It instructs recipients to "avoid area".
    19. present: It instructs recipients to "avoid area".
    20. present: It instructs to "avoid area", a protective action.
    21. present: Instructs recipients to "avoid area".
    22. present: Instructs recipients to "avoid area".
    23. present: It instructs recipients to "avoid area".
    24. present: It instructs recipients to "avoid area".
    25. present: It instructs recipients to "avoid area".
  • Timeabsent0/25

    Final assessment

    Unanimous: no clock time, date, or recency cue appears, so timing is absent.

    When the message applies. A timestamp, the word now or immediately, or a phrase like until further notice tells the reader whether the danger is current and how quickly to act.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears in the text.
    2. absent: No clock time, date, or recency word appears in the text.
    3. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue such as "now" appears.
    4. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue is present in the text.
    5. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue such as "now" or "immediately" appears.
    6. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue such as "now" or "immediately" appears.
    7. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue such as "now" appears in the text.
    8. absent: No clock time, date, or recency word such as "now" appears in the text.
    9. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears.
    10. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears in the text.
    11. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears in the text.
    12. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears.
    13. absent: No clock time, date, or recency word appears in the text.
    14. absent: No clock time, date, or recency word appears in the text.
    15. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue such as "now" appears in the text.
    16. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears in the text.
    17. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears in the text.
    18. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears in the text.
    19. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue such as "now" or "immediately" appears.
    20. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue such as "now" appears in the text.
    21. absent: No clock time, date, or recency word like "now" appears in the text.
    22. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears in the text.
    23. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears in the text.
    24. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears in the text.
    25. absent: No clock time, date, or recency word appears in the text.
  • Impactabsent0/25

    Final assessment

    Absent unanimously across all 25 reads. The advisory reports a bear spotted in a tree and to avoid the area but states no harm or what the bear could do to people.

    What the hazard could do to the people in its path. Beyond naming the threat, a complete warning conveys its potential consequences or severity, such as that a tornado can level buildings or that a leak could be explosive, so recipients grasp how much danger they are in. Research on warning message content finds that a concrete impact statement helps people personalize their risk and act sooner.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. absent: It reports a bear in a tree and an roped off area but states no explicit harm or danger to people.
    2. absent: This reports a bear in a tree with an area roped off but states no explicit danger or potential harm to people.
    3. absent: Reports a bear in a tree with an area roped off but states no harm or specific danger.
    4. absent: It advises avoiding the area due to a bear in a tree but states no harm or explicit danger to people.
    5. absent: Bear spotted in a tree with area roped off and avoid area, stating no harm or danger.
    6. absent: It reports a bear in a tree and an area roped off but frames it as an advisory with no stated harm or danger to people.
    7. absent: Reports a bear in a tree and an area roped off but states no harm or danger to people, an advisory to avoid the area.
    8. absent: Reports a bear in a tree with an area roped off but states no danger or potential harm.
    9. absent: Advisory about a bear in a tree with an area roped off but states no harm or explicit danger to people.
    10. absent: It reports a bear in a tree and an area roped off but states no danger or potential harm to people.
    11. absent: Reports a bear in a tree and that an area was roped off, advising avoidance without stating any danger or harm.
    12. absent: It reports a bear in a tree with an area roped off but states no danger, injury, or consequence.
    13. absent: A bear in a tree with avoid area and a roped-off zone is advisory guidance and states no harm or danger to people.
    14. absent: Reports a bear in a tree and an area roped off but states no danger or harm the bear could cause.
    15. absent: Reports a bear in a tree and an area roped off but states no harm or danger to people.
    16. absent: Reports a bear in a tree with an area roped off but states no specific harm or danger to people.
    17. absent: Reports a bear in a tree and area roped off but states no harm or danger to people.
    18. absent: Advises avoiding an area due to a bear in a tree with no stated harm or danger.
    19. absent: Reports a bear in a tree and to avoid the area but states no harm or danger from it.
    20. absent: Reports a bear in a tree with an area roped off and advice to avoid, but states no harm or danger to people.
    21. absent: Bear spotted in a tree with area roped off but no statement that the bear poses danger or could cause harm.
    22. absent: Reports a bear in a tree with the area roped off and to avoid it but states no explicit harm or danger to people.
    23. absent: Reports a bear in a tree with the area roped off and to avoid it but states no harm or specific danger.
    24. absent: Reports a bear in a tree with the area roped off but states no harm or danger to people.
    25. absent: A bear in a tree with the area roped off conveys an advisory to avoid the area without stating danger or harm.

Systematic AI judgments with visible reasoning, not human-validated codings.

About this analysis
Context

Background

CU Boulder sits against the Front Range foothills, where black bears occasionally wander onto campus in fall as they forage before hibernation. On the morning of September 12, 2023, a bear climbed a tree on the northwest side of the Engineering Center next to the Math building, and CU Boulder Police plus Colorado Parks and Wildlife roped off the area. The university posted a CU Advisory titled 'Bear spotted in tree near Engineering, avoid area'. The bear eventually came down and left campus on its own without harm. CU Boulder later reiterated its standard guidance: if you see a bear on campus, call 911, stand still, stay calm, and let the bear identify you and leave. The case is a tidy example of a low-tier discretionary advisory (a 'CU Advisory') being used for a wildlife sighting, complete with a physical area closure and a clean all-clear.
Analysis

Key Findings

CU Boulder used its lowest-tier 'CU Advisory' notification for a black bear in a tree near the Engineering Center on September 12, 2023, not a Clery timely warning
CU Boulder Police and Colorado Parks and Wildlife roped off the area near the Math building until the bear came down and left campus on its own
Because the bear departed without being tranquilized and no one was hurt, the sequence ends in a genuine all-clear reopening the area
Outcome
No injuries. The bear descended from the tree and left campus on its own; the advisory was lifted once it departed.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    CU Advisory: Bear spotted in tree near Engineering, avoid area - CU Boulder Alerts
    alerts.colorado.edu
    archived copy
  2. News
    Bear seen on University of Colorado Boulder campus - FOX31
    kdvr.com
    archived copy
  3. News
    Bear Sighting Reported on CU Boulder Campus on Thursday - Longmont Leader
    longmontleader.com
    archived copy
Cite this case

Campus Alert Archive. "University of Colorado Boulder: Black bear in a tree near the engineering complex prompts an advisory to avoid the area." Incident of September 12, 2023. Added May 2026; last updated June 2026. https://campusalertarchive.com/case/cu-boulder-bear-in-tree-2023-09-12/

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Alert text quoted on this page remains the work of the issuing institution; the archive is a secondary source.

Tags
wildlifebearadvisorycoloradoall-clearcu-boulder
Added May 2026Updated June 2026Via ingestion