Contacts now available for assistance are the following:
1) Kathy Holden, SCTA Bear Response Team: 544-7687, email: tahoekat@att.net
2) Peter Langecker, SCTA Director of Security: Cell 510.714-5053, email: langeckerp@aol.com
3) Joan Mulvaney, SCTA Bear Response Team Information: 530-344-9459
Bears!
What Can We Do?
SCTA BEAR ENCOUNTER RECOMMENDATIONS Revised 2014
1. If a bear is simply walking through the tract and away from any cabin, there is nothing that any of us need to do except stay away from him.
2. If there is a bear on your lot or showing interest in your cabin (such as sniffing around it or coming on the deck), he must be told immediately THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE! Yell at him, make loud noises, bang pots and pans, blow a boat horn, or throw something at him. YOU MUST BE THE DOMINANT BEAR! He will be afraid of you and you will have told him exactly what another bear would tell him if he tried to get too close to that bear’s den. DO NOT THROW FOOD AT HIM OR TALK NICE TO HIM OR TAKE PICTURES. That would tell him that he’s welcome, that you like him, and he’ll be back and will possibly try to come inside! Appreciate the bears from afar ---- keep them wild and safe.
3. If the bear won’t leave or you are simply afraid to be aggressive toward him, call for assistance. The resources listed or other trained members will help with bear aversion techniques.
4. If there is a bear in your cabin and you are home, he usually will leave with the use of aversion techniques. DO NOT block his exit! He will usually leave by the same way he came in. As the bear is running away, yell and throw things at him, express your outrage at his unacceptable behavior! The bear will know this is your den when you use these aversion techniques because you are telling him by this behavior you WILL NOT tolerate his presence at this cabin! In addition, it is of critical importance for us to take aggressive action to confront a bear that frequently will return to the same scene for more food. Then report the incident to all three resource people listed below as well as posting the incident on the bulletin board to alert others. The resource people can assist by using tested methods and tools to convince the bear that our cabins are not their territory.
5. If you discover your cabin has been broken into and the bear has left, notify all three of the resources listed below and post the incident on the bulletin board. They can assess the situation and advise you what to do to discourage further break-ins. Take pictures of any damage before you clean up and repair the damage. Contact your insurance company if appropriate.
6. Let your immediate neighbors know of the bear activity by telephoning those in your Neighborhood Watch group. Please post all bear sightings and encounters on the bulletin board log so that we are aware of the frequency and location of bears in the tract and we can document our progress in dealing with the bears. If you notice an ear tag, please record the color too.
The Spring Creek Tract Bear Response Team was formed to take care of bear issues within the tract and to act as the liaison between cabin owners and the proper authorities. A member of the Bear Response Team will contact Fish and Game and the Forest Service concerning any bear break-ins. If they are unable to report the incident for you, please call Fish and Game and the Forest Service to report the incident. Your cooperation in following the recommendations below and providing this information to all who use your cabin will greatly help in establishing these procedures.
Problem bears
1) If immediate emergency, call 911, or 530/544-3464 by cellphone.
2) Call Fish and Game to report. 530/295-3510
3) Inform Forest Service of incident. 530/543-2636
4) Bear League: This organization provides recommendations and advice for bear protection and preservation. 24 hour hotline 525-7297 or 541-8282
An Overview for Spring Creek Cabin Users
* NEVER FEED BEARS! It is illegal, destroys their wildness, and leads to property damage.
* REMOVE ATTRACTANTS AND SECURE CABINS. If bears can smell attractants, they will try to get them. Bears can pry open doors, windows, shutters, or dumpsters if they can get their claws or teeth into a crack or opening. If bears are unsuccessful in their efforts to obtain food at your cabin, they'll try another. If they are unable to score at the tract, they will move on. Install a bear-proof metal cabinet for food in the cabin.
* KEEP DUMPSTERS SECURELY CLOSED AND LOCKED AT ALL TIMES. Restrict dumpster use to household garbage only. Please use the sliding side door and toss your bag into the rear of the dumpster to maximize the space within. Do not put trash in a dumpster that is so full that the door will not close.
* GIVE CHILDREN A WHISTLE or put bells on their shoes for outside play. As long as kids make noise, the bears will hear them and avoid them. Remember that coyotes also are oftentimes sighted in the area. Teach your children to be respectful of all wildlife.
* NO BIRD FEEDERS; FEED PETS INSIDE. Bears are attracted to birdseed and pet food.
* REMOVE LEFTOVER PICNICS FROM DECKS & YARDS, and ice chests too. Our bears know what they are!
* KEEP BBQ CLEAN. Burn off residue after cooking each time.
* WHEN APPROPRIATE, KEEP DOORS & WINDOWS CLOSED ON THE GROUND FLOOR, especially while cooking or away from the cabin. Remember that a screen is non-existent to a bear.
* KEEP SLIDING DOORS & WINDOWS LOCKED, especially when away from the cabin and at night when you are at the cabin. Bears easily open unlocked sliders, any door not properly latched, and unlocked doors that have lever type handles.
* BEARS LIKE SOILED DIAPERS. Take them to the dumpsters often.
* REMOVE ATTRACTANTS FROM VEHICLES, including the trunk and glove compartment, such as: ice chests, food, gum, lotions, toothpaste, food & gum wrappers, and even crumbs. Do not use air fresheners. When unloading groceries keep car doors and windows closed while in cabin. Do not pack car at night for next morning’s early departure. Keep windows rolled up tight while unattended.
* USE OFFENSIVE SCENT for an effective barrier. Run candle wicking up, across and down the interior frame of a window or door where food odors might be strongest. Insert each end into a hole in the lid of two bottles of Pinesol or ammonia at each side of windowsill and check every few months to keep full so wicking stays moist.
Empowering Tools to Use
* BOAT HORN available at most any drug store or any marine supply store.
* PEPPER SPRAY for bears available at most drug stores. Obtain instruction and be careful with this item. It is designed for outside use only.
* SHAKER CAN. Empty soup can with handful of loose pebbles, taped shut. It sounds like a rattlesnake, which bears intensely fear.
* SLING SHOT. Use little rocks; aim at rump of retreating bear while yelling at him.
When Leaving Cabin for a Few Hours
* CHECK that all doors & windows on the ground floor are fully closed and locked (not just screens).
* CLOSE CURTAINS/DRAPES to remove window views of any food items. Good idea to close shutters on kitchen area.
* LEAVE A RADIO OR TV PLAYING so the bear will think you are inside.
* CONSIDER INSTALLING A MOTION ACTIVATED BARKING DOG DEVICE (Rex) so the bear believes a dog is inside. “STI ED-50 Rex Plus Electronic Watchdog, Barking Dog Alarm,” can be ordered through Amazon.com. Ensure it works properly and shuts off appropriately so as not to create unnecessary disturbance in the tract.
* CONSIDER PLACING A FIRST ALERT ALARM on vulnerable kitchen doors and windows. This small box hangs and screams when activated by motion. Ensure it works properly and is shut off appropriately (needs manual shut off) so as not to create unnecessary disturbance in the tract.
* PUT OUT, AND PERIODICALLY CHECK, EXTERIOR RAGS OR SPONGES to be sure they are still wet with Pinesol or ammonia.
Securing Cabin - Going Home
* DO NOT LEAVE ANYTHING inside or out which might attract bears.
* REMOVE FOOD and good smelling personal & household products (This is strongly recommended by our Forest Service administrator). A riskier alternative would be to place such items in airtight containers or Ursack scent resistant bags, available online www.ursack.com. Another alternative is to place food in a bear-proof metal cabinet. If you use this cabinet, we encourage you to put food in airtight containers inside it. If the bear comes in because he still smells the food, he will not be rewarded if you placed everything inside this cabinet. View online at www.BearProofInc.com
* THOROUGHLY CLEAN STOVE, refrigerator, and BBQ regularly.
* REMOVE ALL GARBAGE and clean containers with Pinesol or ammonia.
* SECURE CABIN with solid wood or metal clad doors, security doors, and heavy, tight fitting shutters. When upgrading buy metal doors and double pane windows (bears have not gone through these) and ensure youÆve obtained approval from our Forest Service administrator as these upgrades are maintenance projects on the cabins. The committee is forming a cabin security review team. More information will follow.
* ATTACH to cabin exterior (near windows and doors) rags or sponges soaked in unscented Pinesol or ammonia and/or hang paradichlorobenzene moth cakes (not cedar scented).
* REX Turn on the motion activated barking dog.
* USFS and BEAR LEAGUE We are working closely through the Forest Service, the Tahoe Council for Wild Bears, and the BEAR League for current information and policy directions. The BEAR League is also a good resource with many volunteers. If you choose, they may be contacted at 525-7297.
The True Nature of the Black Bear
The grizzlies are gone from California. Only the black bear remains. Whether they are black, brown, reddish, or blonde, they are all black bears. Hollywood and outdoor magazines oftentimes portray any bear as fierce and aggressive, but this description is far from true, especially when it comes to our native black bear, the only bear you will ever see passing through Spring Creek Tract. Wildlife biologists, with many years experience studying bear behavior, tell us how non-aggressive this species is and how naturally they avoid humans. Granted, they can look very scary because of their immense size and strength. Sometimes they may stand upright, which can be really frightening, but this just allows them to see, hear and assess a situation better. Their preference is to avoid people.
Wild black bears are omnivores, eating almost anything from berries to fish and insect larvae (grubs), which they find by tearing apart stumps and logs. They are thinking of food during just about every waking moment. Bears will investigate any opportunity for food and they need to be strongly discouraged from seeking out our cabins or vehicles as an easy source of food. It is going to take the full cooperation of every cabin owner and visitor to Spring Creek Tract to keep our cabins and dumpsters off the bears hit list. Our job is to keep Tahoe’s bears wild and prevent them from accessing human related food sources at our dumpsters and our cabins. Once they find food at a site, they do not forget and will return again and again looking for more.
Spring Creek Tract sits in a natural, ancient bear corridor that links the Desolation Wilderness area to Lake Tahoe. Bears pass through this area, stopping along the way to rest or forage in the meadows and forests, as they always have for thousands and thousands of years, and they must be allowed to continue. Spring Creek Tract is on public National Forest lands in prime bear habitat. We are stewards of the land and must be diligent so as not to displace bears from their original home range. Cabin owners can peacefully share the bear’s home range, at the same time protecting cabins from damage and entry by bears. It is important to make the bears feel unwelcome if they appear too comfortable within the Forest Service lot around our cabins, but leave them alone if they are simply passing through.
Being non-confrontational by nature, black bears usually run away or climb a tree to escape and avoid humans, even when the bluffing human is actually afraid of the bear. Human vulnerability does not trigger aggression in a bear. And they do not get mad at us for chasing them away. They are not going to change the way they naturally are because of how we may feel inside (fear).
In certain bear encounter situations, a bear may not initially run away. If a frightened bear feels crowded, perhaps you have blocked his route to escape. Or if he is defending a food source (and thinks you want it), or if it happens to be a mother bear with cubs (and they may be out of your sight), the bear may blow loudly, clack her teeth, slap the ground or even bluff charge. These apparent aggressive displays are ritualized expressions of apprehension and the bear’s way of saying to you, “Please move back, I am terribly afraid of you.”
Those who understand black bear behavior from first hand experience ask us not to interpret what black bears do through the filter of our own fear. The peaceful coexistence of humans and bears rests with human attitudes and behavior. As humans learn more about the black bear, the same human nature that has reacted with almost automatic fear at the presence of a black bear is beginning to react with understanding, even affinity.
To learn more about the black bear, check these web sites:
www.bear.org (view the Black Bear Mini-Course)