Managing Tahoe Bears

Posted by High Sierra Rural Alliance

May 27, 2008

California and Nevada wildlife officials will pool resources to help prevent a repeat of last year's record-breaking season of bear problems in the Tahoe Basin.

Gathering last week at Donner Memorial State Park in Truckee, officials from the California Department of Fish and Game and Nevada Department of Wildlife agreed to try to minimize human-bear conflicts.

The departments will share personnel, databases, information and public education efforts to better address the black bear concerns, said Steve Martarano, Fish and Game's supervising information officer.

Both departments will help coordinate bear management policies with the volunteer BEAR League, as well as sheriff's departments and other local agencies, wildlife biologist Jason Holley said.

"We work with them anyway," he said, "but this will make it easier. We're … helping each other know where the problem bears are."

While exact numbers aren't known, there were "thousands of calls" about bear problems last year in the basin, Holley said. There were "at least a few hundred break-ins" and more bear deaths than ever before, he said.

Read more at the Sacramento Bee.