Campus Alert Archive
CU Boulder

A Black Bear Up a Tree by the Engineering Center, and a Roped-Off Quad

COotheradvisorymedium confidence
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
~39,000 studentsCU Boulder Alerts
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTWebsite
Approximate reconstructionReconstructed from the CU Boulder Alerts page headline and FOX31/Longmont Leader coverage; the official alerts page returns HTTP 403 in this environment349 chars
CU Advisory: Bear spotted in tree near Engineering, avoid area. A bear has been spotted in a tree near the Engineering Center on the northwest side, next to the Math building. CU Boulder Police and Colorado Parks and Wildlife are on scene. Avoid the area until further notice. Do not approach the bear. Updates will be posted at alerts.colorado.edu.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The headline 'CU Advisory: Bear spotted in tree near Engineering, avoid area' is the exact title of the CU Boulder Alerts post; the body is reconstructed from news coverage of the same incident.
The specific location (northwest side of the Engineering Center next to the Math building) tracks reported detail about where police and Colorado Parks and Wildlife roped off the area.
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
Approximate reconstructionReconstructed all-clear based on Longmont Leader and FOX31 reporting that the bear left campus on its own235 chars
CU Advisory Update: The bear spotted near the Engineering Center has come down from the tree and safely left campus. There is no further concern. The area is reopened. Thank you for avoiding the area while wildlife officials responded.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed all-clear reflecting confirmed reporting that the bear came down from the tree and left campus without incident.
Qualifies as a genuine all-clear because it reopens the area and states there is no further concern, unlike the initial avoidance advisory.
The bear leaving on its own, rather than being tranquilized, is why no wildlife-capture follow-up appears in the sequence.
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
  2. News
    Bear seen on University of Colorado Boulder campus - FOX31
    kdvr.com
  3. News
    Bear Sighting Reported on CU Boulder Campus on Thursday - Longmont Leader
    longmontleader.com
Tags
wildlifebearadvisorycoloradoall-clearcu-boulder
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion