News Archive

Five orphaned black bear cubs that were rehabilitated and released into northern California in November 2025 successfully hibernated through the winter and returned to the landscape this spring healthy and active, according to recent data reviewed by CDFW) scientists.

Spring is in the air at Lake Tahoe, and black bears are emerging from their winter dens. This includes mother bears with new cubs of the year that are only about 8 to 10 weeks old.

The Tahoe Interagency Bear Team (TIBT) is a collective of bear experts across federal, state and local agencies who study and understand bears and have devoted much of their professional lives to ensure the health and well-being of the Lake Tahoe Basin’s black bears.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is proud to present the Black Bear Conservation and Management Plan for California. The plan, an update to the 1998 Black Bear Management Plan, draws upon the latest scientific tools and methods to conserve, manage, and monitor black bear populations in California.

The snow is already melting in the Lake Tahoe region, and the end of winter gives way to a busy spring for wildlife in the area. Bears that have been in winter dens are emerging, and they are hungry!