Bear Naked Truth

Goings-on with black bears in the Tahoe Basin and beyond

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  • July 18, 2022
Hard-sided canister such as this metal one with a top that screws on for extra security are now required of overnight visitors to Desolation Wilderness.

Attention backpackers: Beginning today – July 18, 2022 – overnight visitors to the Desolation Wilderness are required to store their food and trash in a canister designed to prevent access by bears.

Those orders were signed recently by USDA forest supervisors at the Eldorado National Forest and Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, the agencies tasked with management of Desolation Wilderness. The purpose is to protect both bears and visitors to Desolation Wilderness, a popular, 63,960-acre wilderness area located southwest of Lake Tahoe and north of Highway 50 in El Dorado County.

“In recent years, bears have become more aggressive in their search for food, relying on human sources rather than natural sources. This causes increased interactions between humans and bears and the possibility of bears becoming habituated to the presence of humans. A person who fights back or gets between the bear and food is risking bodily injury or death. In cases where a bear is known to threaten or intimidate visitors repeatedly, or cause injury, the bear may be euthanized,” stated the USDA Forest Service news release announcing the new requirement.

The Forest Service says backpackers at Lake Aloha, Gilmore Lake and other popular camping areas in Desolation Wilderness have lost as many as 10 “bear hangs” a night to bears in recent years. Visitors are left with no food. To continue their backpacking trips, many of these groups must hike out of the wilderness to get more food. A “bear hang” is typically a makeshift system of rope, cord, sacks or bags – sometimes including pulleys and carabiners – used to hang or suspend food in a tree to protect it from black bears as well as from rodents in the backcountry.

“Typical methods of food and trash storage are no longer effective as wildlife has grown accustomed to humans,” stated the news release. “Whistles, banging pots and pans, yelling, nothing is working. Bears have adapted to even the most experienced campers’ food hangs and brought them down.

“One of the principles of Leave No Trace is to respect wildlife. Considerate campers observe wildlife from a distance, store food securely and keep garbage and food scraps away from animals. A camper would be wise to check his or her tent for food in pockets, candy wrappers and the like.”

The USDA Forest Service notes that backpackers can both purchase or rent a bear canister at the Placerville Ranger Station in Camino when they get their permit. For more information on rentals, call (530) 647-5415. Backpackers can also purchase a canister at a recreational outlet. Most bear canisters sold at retail recreational stores are highly bear-resistant.

Backpackers who are not in compliance with the forest order are subject to citations and fines.

Frequently Asked Questions from the USDA Forest Service

What is a “canister designed to prevent access by bears"?

Hard-sided canisters are commercially produced and designed to prevent access by bears. Bear-resistant canisters and panniers are the most effective method of food storage for wilderness travelers. Throughout the region, use of bear-resistant canisters is strongly recommended. In Desolation Wilderness it is mandatory to store food and refuse in a canister designed to prevent access by bear as of July 18, 2022.

Other food storage options like “odor proof” bags, or chew resistant bags, while great in many places, are not effective in Desolation Wilderness.

Do day users need to carry a canister?

Typically, people not spending the night will not need to carry a canister. Think about whether you will be able to always stay within arms-reach of your food. If you plan to swim, or leave your pack behind while skiing or climbing, or some other situation, you must store your food in a canister.

Do I need a canister during the winter?

Yes, canisters are required year-round.

Can I hike with overnight equipment across Desolation Wilderness in a day and not carry a canister?

Please carry a bear canister. It is the right thing to do, especially around Lake Tahoe and in the Sierra Nevada. Your responsibility to protect bears does not end at the Desolation Wilderness boundary, nor do the problems associated with human-food habituated bears. Lake Tahoe is struggling with people poorly protecting their food from bears. Help be a part of the solution.

In some places, if you have overnight equipment such as a tent or sleeping bag, you must comply with overnight and bear canister regulations even if you hope not to sleep in the area. For now, this is not the case in Desolation Wilderness. We will caution you that the 26 miles of Pacific Crest Trail between Echo Lake and Richardson Lake are hard to do in a day and bears continue to seek out and are actively obtaining food from hikers north of the Desolation Wilderness boundary.

What needs to be stored in a canister?

Items that must be secured include food sealed in jars, cans or foil packs. Non-food items such as plastic bottles, water bottles, coffee mugs, pet food, empty cans, trash, wrappers, cosmetics, grocery bags, boxes and ice chests must also be secured. Do not leave these items in your car or tent. Bears will break in to obtain them.

How can I report a bear-related incident in Desolation Wilderness?

Visitors can report an incident by calling the Placerville Ranger Station at (530) 647-5415 or the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit at (530) 543-2600.

Categories: Public Safety
  • June 4, 2022

Hopeful news to report from the Tahoe Basin on National Black Bear Day, which is recognized annually the first Saturday in June.

ABC 7 Los Angeles shared video recently of what Tahoe Basin residents believe to be the Tamarack Fire bear splashing and playing happily in a South Lake Tahoe pond. California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) officials say they can't know the bear's identity for certain since the Tamarack Fire bear wasn’t tagged or radio-collared prior to its escape but their hope is that residents are correct and the Tamarack Fire bear is the one enjoying itself in the ABC 7 video.

The Tamarack Fire bear, you’ll remember, made headlines last summer and prompted local concern after the young bear escaped from its enclosure at Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care, where it was recovering from burns suffered in the Tamarack Fire.

CDFW ultimately decided against recapturing the bear after various sightings and observations in the wild revealed the bear to be moving and functioning properly with no obvious signs of injury and behaving as a wild and healthy bear should. Surrounding fresh scat indicated the bear was actively foraging on wild foods. More information on the decision is available in an earlier post.

While conflict bears in the Tahoe Basin often capture the attention and interest of the news media and the public, it’s good to be reminded that many of the Tahoe Basin’s black bears still live healthy, wild lives free from human conflict and – mostly – out of the spotlight.

On National Black Bear Day, we can thank ABC 7 Los Angeles – and perhaps the Tamarack Fire bear itself – for the reminder.

Categories: Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care, Rehabilitation, South Lake Tahoe
  • May 9, 2022

Now that the snow has sufficiently melted and spring has sprung, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has resumed Trap-Tag-Haze efforts in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Since 2017, CDFW has caught, tagged, collected DNA and released 36 bears as part of its Trap-Tag-Haze bear research and management efforts in the Basin.

This spring, CDFW will focus initially on the South Lake Tahoe area, where a few different bears have broken into homes since the summer of 2021. Although reports have slowed, these bears have caused significant property damage throughout the neighborhood known as the Tahoe Keys.

If the large bear that recently garnered significant media attention is trapped, it will be evaluated by CDFW veterinarians for release into the wild. A release site in appropriate bear habitat has already been identified that should provide the bear plenty of habitat to transition to wild bear behaviors. The bear will be monitored with a satellite tracking collar that will help determine if the management effort is effective.

All other bears captured will be ear-tagged and hazed upon release (loudly chased to provide a negative association with humans and habituated behavior).

DNA evidence collected through Trap-Tag-Haze efforts already has shown interesting family relatedness among bears displaying similar activity. In other words, mother bears are likely teaching negative and nuisance behaviors to their offspring.

Some monitored bears have successfully acclimated to wild habitats outside of town while others have returned and continued to exhibit habituated behaviors, which means associating people, homes, cars, campgrounds, coolers and the like as sources of food.

Following the South Lake Tahoe Trap-Tag-Haze efforts, CDFW will move the operation to the western and northern sides of the Basin. The video below further explains CDFW’s innovative Trap-Tag-Haze program.

Categories: Research, South Lake Tahoe, Tahoe Keys
  • March 15, 2022

A Siskiyou County man has pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of two bear cubs and obstructing wildlife officers, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) announced recently. Cody Dylon Setzer, 29, Yreka, took two bear cubs from their den and sow (mother bear) after finding the den site in a fallen log across a forest road. The bear cubs were estimated to be less than four weeks old at the time Setzer took them.

Wildlife officers became aware of the bear cubs on March 9, 2019, when Setzer called them, claiming he had found the cubs along the roadside on Highway 263 north of Yreka. A wildlife officer became suspicious of Setzer’s story when no bear tracks or habitat were found at the location where Setzer claimed he had found them.

The bear cubs were transported to CDFW’s Wildlife Health Laboratory in Rancho Cordova. Wildlife forensics scientists with CDFW’s Wildlife Forensics Laboratory used DNA samples to establish the bear cubs were likely born in the Sacramento River canyon in northern Shasta County, more than 90 miles south of where Setzer claimed he had located them.

During the investigation, wildlife officers determined Setzer and a co-worker at a local timber management company took the cubs from a den inside a tree that had fallen across an access road to a work site. The co-worker took officers to the location of the den site east of Salt Creek and Interstate 5. Further evidence was collected from the den site, which had been destroyed by both men. The sow was never located.

Two tiny bear cubs curl up together after their recovery by CDFW.
The two tiny bear cubs after their recovery by CDFW wildlife officers. CDFW photo.

The cubs were turned over to Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care (LTWC) for long-term rehabilitation. LTWC said the cubs were the youngest ever brought into its facility. After growing old enough to survive on their own, the cubs were returned to their native habitat in Shasta County on April 28, 2020.

On Nov. 17, 2021, Setzer pleaded guilty in Siskiyou Superior Court to possession of a prohibited species and obstructing a peace officer in the course of his duties. Coincidentally, Setzer had also been prosecuted for a separate, unrelated case and the district attorney’s office agreed to combine sentencing for both.Due to his guilty plea on both cases, he was ordered to pay $2,290 in fines and fees and complete 200 hours of community service. Setzer was also placed on probation for 12 months with his hunting and fishing privileges suspended for the duration of his probation, and sentenced to 90 days in the county jail, which will be stayed if he successfully completes probation.

If you witness a poaching or polluting incident, or any fish and wildlife violation, or have information about such a violation, immediately dial the toll free CalTIP number 1-888 334-CALTIP (888-334-2258), 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Tips may also be submitted anonymously to CDFW using tip411, an internet-based tool that enables the public to text an anonymous tip to wildlife officers and lets the officers respond, thus creating an anonymous two-way conversation. Anyone with a cell phone may send an anonymous tip to CDFW by texting "CALTIP", followed by a space and the message, to 847411 (tip411).

Categories: Forensics, Law Enforcement, Rehabilitation
  • February 24, 2022

Incidents with black bears in the Tahoe Keys area of South Lake Tahoe are getting national and international attention. Tahoe is natural bear habitat, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) takes each of these periodic incidents seriously.

CDFW is enlisting the community’s support and cooperation to conduct a thorough effort to keep bears away from people and homes and— when needed— to trap, tag and work to relocate habituated bears. All of these efforts are focused on keeping residents safe, and enabling safe and healthy conditions for these bears.

While recent incidents of bears invading homes were originally thought to be a single bear, DNA evidence collected from the most recent incident as well as prior incidents over the past several months prove that at least three bears were responsible for breaking into numerous residences. The most recent incident was attributed to a large black bear (the same bear the public is calling “Hank”) likely based on visual observation. Considering new evidence suggesting multiple bears are responsible for recent incidents, CDFW will work in coming weeks and months to trap bears in the South Lake Tahoe area, tag them, collect evidence for genetic analysis, and then release them into suitable habitat. During this effort, CDFW will gather information and learn from scientific analysis to help inform and refine our bear management in the Lake Tahoe Basin. CDFW is not going to euthanize any bears that are trapped during this effort.

Identifying bears simply by their visible, physical characteristics can lead to misidentifying bears and therefore confusing management efforts. The genetic information gleaned from our effort in the South Lake Tahoe area will assist CDFW by expanding its database of bear genetics and hopefully preventing future misidentification of bears.

For this effort to be successful, CDFW will need ample community support. First, CDFW requests the Tahoe Keys and surrounding communities to collaborate on the placement of traps to protect both residents and the bears. CDFW must have approval to place traps on private property and will need that access for this effort to work. Additionally, for traps to work, they must be left alone and not vandalized or harmed in any way.

It is critical that Tahoe Keys residents and everyone who lives or recreates in the Lake Tahoe Basin carefully store food and trash. Increasingly, CDFW is involved in bear/human conflicts that could have been avoided by people taking a few simple actions. Bears are primarily scent-driven when seeking food. Improperly stored human food and trash are likely attracting bears into this neighborhood. We all need to take all precautions to store food and trash properly to protect ourselves, our neighbors and local bears. Additional information and resources are available at CDFW’s Keep Me Wild: Black Bear web page.

CDFW has been reaching out to local governments and homeowners’ associations to educate residents and visitors of Lake Tahoe about “bear-proofing” homes, including installation of bear-proof garbage receptacles. CDFW will continue this important outreach and is exploring options to ensure that homes in the Lake Tahoe Basin are equipped with these receptacles.

CDFW’s new bear policy highlights the importance of these actions, and establishes a clear process to address each unique situation with bear/human conflict as it arises. It takes an adaptive management approach that relies on community partnerships.

By working together, these efforts to protect residents and bears can be successful. We appreciate everyone’s engagement as we work through this situation in a thoughtful, science-based, transparent manner.

Categories: Research, South Lake Tahoe, Tahoe Keys

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