USFS issues new food and refuse storage order for Lake Tahoe Basin in 2024
Submitted by paula on Thu, 11/30/2023 - 4:51pm
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – To help keep Tahoe bears wild, the USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) has issued a new Forest Order that requires the proper storage of food and refuse (garbage) on all National Forest System lands in the Lake Tahoe Basin.
The Forest Order takes effect on Jan. 1, 2024, and requires all food and garbage not personally attended to be stored in a container designed to prevent access by bears and other wildlife. The Forest Order also requires the use of bear canisters (hard-sided bear-proof containers) for overnight visitors to the Desolation Wilderness and wildlife-resistant dumpsters and food lockers (bear boxes) provided at National Forest campgrounds.
Bears are attracted to anything edible or scented and the improper storage and disposal of human food and garbage is a leading cause of human-bear conflicts in the Tahoe Basin. Bears that become accustomed to human food and garbage lose their natural fear of humans, which can lead to the injury of a person or the euthanasia of the bear. Feeding bears and other wildlife is illegal and violations can result in citations from law enforcement officers.
“The new storage order allows hikers and day-use visitors to possess food or garbage provided they are within 100 feet of the items,” said Wildlife Biologist Shay Zanetti. “Requiring proper food and garbage storage will help reduce the number of human-bear conflicts by preventing bears and other wildlife from accessing these items.”
View the Food and Refuse Storage Order on the LTBMU Forest Order webpage. Visit the following websites for helpful information and tips for keeping Tahoe bears wild: TahoeBears.org and BearWise.org.