THE BEARS ARE BACK! By: Tahoe Keys Security
The snow will be melting soon, and a heavy winter will give way to a busy spring for wildlife in the area. Bears that have been in winter dens will be emerging soon and they will be hungry! Our Security patrol has already received a handful of calls reporting bear activity in the Tahoe Keys.
since unnatural food sources can impact their overall health.
In fact, bears will unknowingly eat undigestible items from human trash like foil, paper products, plastics, and metal that can damage their internal systems and even lead to death. If these items do Bears in the Tahoe Basin will be in a difficult position make it through their digestive system, they leave this year as they come out of their dens and are met it behind in their scat rather than the native seeds with historic snow loads across their habitat. Grass and healthy fertilizer needed to grow the next and other sprouts that would usually be greening generation of plant life. up with the melting of snow won’t be available until much later in the spring and Bears will instinctively Spring is also the time of year that residents or move to lower elevations to find those fresh greens, visitors may see a bear they feel looks unhealthy, but the snow will make them search for easier sick, or orphaned. If anyone has concerns about a routes like roads and trails. This is going to bring bear’s health, never hesitate to call official wildlife bears down into urban areas as they move through experts. If the bear needs help, state agency the mountains. wildlife experts have the training and expertise to assess the bear’s condition and transport it to a As bears make their way through the area, please wildlife veterinarian. Healthy bears mean healthy be vigilant about cleaning up bear attractants. ecosystems, and we can all do our part to set both Bears can and will be active day and night, so we up for success! recommend taking feeders down and keeping them down. We also know proper disposal of garbage can For great tips about living responsibly with bears, be difficult with snow piling up on the roads, but visit tahoebears.org and bearwise.org. please take a few minutes to dig out your bear boxes so garbage can easily be secured inside. The bottom line is that Lake Tahoe is bear country. It’s up to each one of us, including those living in, Make sure to clean out your vehicles, especially visiting, or recreating in the Tahoe Basin to practice if you have food stored in your vehicle for winter good stewardship habits by always securing food, travel safety. In addition, remember to keep doors trash, and other scented items. Good habits will and windows locked on buildings so bears cannot help ensure we keep Tahoe bears wild. break into structures. We All Play a Role in Bear Health and Safety Bears play an important role in Lake Tahoe’s ecosystem and allowing them access to human food and garbage is detrimental to natural processes in the region. If they find and access human food and garbage, the Tahoe Basin loses the benefits bears offer to natural processes. Bears need to be wild animals rather than garbage disposals, especially
Keys Breeze
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To report human-bear conflicts: Contact the California Department of Fish and Wildlife at 916-358-2917 or report online using the Wildlife Incident Reporting (WIR) system at apps.wildlife.ca.gov/wir. Non-emergency wildlife interactions in California State Parks can be reported to their public dispatch at 916-358-1300.
APRIL 2023
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