Lake Tahoe has one of the largest populations of black bears of any area outside of Asheville, North Carolina. The Lake Tahoe Basin bear population is estimated at 500. Recent local articles and even national news have highlighted this as our bears search for food, gliding through our neighborhoods mostly at night, searching for food.

Unfortunately, some have become aggressive in their instinct-driven effort to survive and feed their cubs. In addition, some mother bears seek protection for their cubs from males by finding shelter under houses. Our South Tahoe Chamber of Commerce receives many calls asking about whether campers and backpackers will be safe, and many others asking where they can see our beloved bears.

One of the reasons I have loved living here these past 52 years has been our bears. I love seeing them as they diligently go about their business. Most of our neighborhoods have nicknames for our resident bears. When I lived on South Upper Truckee, ours was named Yogi. Watching from our upper deck as the chill November winds blew his foot-long blonde fur like wheat in the wind is one of my favorite memories. I have seen the succeeding generations of their cubs grow up. Some of the other names have been Fuzzie, the ice cream bandit and Hank the Tank. Both made national news.

Unfortunately, eating human food has been a key motivating positive reinforcement for their refining of techniques for absconding with trash. They have even learned how to open most car doors. It seems that their amazingly keen sense of smell allows them to smell just one Tic Tac in an unlocked car. We came out one morning to find a mother bear and three cubs in my wife’s car, smearing a forgotten piece of birthday cake all over everything. It was our family that found little Eloise, the cub who had a broken leg. The mother and two other cubs refused to leave her, but the Bear League and authorities managed to get her into rehab. She was rehabbed and released by Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care.

Some of the contributing factors that have led to the heightening of the bear issues have been generations of cubs being taught how to get into garbage. In fact, the abundant availability of this food source caused mothers to have larger litters of up to three or four cubs. The Angora fire in 2007 and the Caldor fire in 2021 wiped out a lot of their wild habitat and drove them closer to town. When we were all evacuated, they moved in and broke into about 80 homes.  People came home to bears in their living rooms and found their refrigerators and cabinets had been raided. It is only a rumor that many dads found bears in their favorite lounge chairs, eating animal crackers and watching inappropriate TV shows. Recently, South Tahoe Refuse responded to a new state law mandating lockdown lids. Those lids were suddenly shut on the bear’s accustomed food source, creating a reduced supply accompanied by increased demand.

Yosemite bears that caused problems may have been relocated near here, bringing bad habits with them. Our own relocated bears have travelled long distances back to the basin. Of course, our tourists who both fear and get overexcited by bears often lead to the wrong kinds of interactions. Many locals make the mistake of feeding their favorite neighborhood bears.

Recently, both the Nevada Department of Wildlife and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife have run into vocal crowds as they have attempted to keep citizens safe from a small number of bears that have become too aggressive. Instead of us all turning against each other, I have, over the years, heard of some positive solutions that, if combined, might ease the tension and save the lives of these bears. I am not an expert, but I have listened to others as ideas have been brought up and have seen programs elsewhere that appear to have worked.

  1. We need to listen to the Bear League, the CDFW and Tahoe Toogee as they have had training and on-the-job experience far beyond ours. Their advice and written materials include hazing, which means creating a negative experience for bears that are a nuisance. That includes using paintball guns, loud noises and even Karelian bear dogs. Doing those things can save the lives of bears that cross over into endangering humans and destroying property.
  2. Bears love and prefer fruit due to its sugar content. A big part of their natural diet includes the natural berries that grow here. Our daughter-in-law came up with the great innovative idea of providing packets of natural seeds to backcountry hikers, with the idea of having them plant them near water sources, causing more natural bushes to grow in places that would be far from town, where bears prefer to be.
  3. I visited a bear park in Montana for black bears that had caused some problems. Each bear had its own igloo for hibernation. The visitors paid a price to see the bears. It was spacious with bear toys and things to do. The bears seemed oblivious to the people. It appeared to be run by the government.
  4. In the mid-1990s a local man named Lonnie Mason proposed such a park here but was laughed at by the authorities. I never forgot what I saw as a forward-thinking idea for protecting all concerned from the situation; he foresaw what has now come to pass.
  5. My wife and I visited a refined version of the bear park (not a zoo), just south of Tacoma Washington. They had other animals there also in natural spacious settings. They had a full veterinary facility with closed-circuit TVs where visitors could view the animals being cared for.  These facilities offer services including emergency care, surgery, hand-rearing, and educational programs for the community. The price to enter pays for the entire cost of saving the animals.
  6. TRPA, in granting the permit to our Lake Tahoe Wildlife facility, excluded the idea of charging visitors. We could either get that condition removed or build another park just outside the basin in Nevada, outside TRPA’s jurisdiction. 
  7. Recently, I read an article about the large population of wild horses that I also love. Instead of rounding them up they have a program using ABS medications that keep the females from having foals. Evidently, it is not a harmful program for the horses. That may be something that could be done for our bears.

These positive ideas and perhaps others would be a win, win, win. The nuisance bears would be relocated and their lives would be saved. The cost would be paid for by the visitors. All would be educated as to how to live in peace with our Tahoe bears.

Duane Wallace, CEO

South Tahoe Chamber of Commerce