SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – The Lake Tahoe Historical Society will be wrapping up its popular Tuesday night summer speaker series on August 4. Local bear advocate Toogee Sielsch will be speaking on the history of the black bear at Lake Tahoe and updating the public on the current behavior of local urbanized bears.
Toogee taught himself bear behavior during morning walks in the 1990s and is now South Lake Tahoe’s bear authority. Always entertaining, Toogee will talk about why the number of bears has grown over the last decade, and how people can be better stewards in keeping bears safe. He was recently featured in The Wall Street Journal in an article published on July 23, 2026. The piece explores the rising conflicts between local residents and urbanized black bears,
highlighting the steep costs homeowners pay to protect their properties and
featuring interviews and photos of Sielsch.
The talks are free, but donations are always appreciated by the nonprofit.
The show is from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Lakeview Commons, South Lake Tahoe.
The history group has updated its speaker system and would like to thank Brandi Brown and Tahoe Production House.
