Tahoe summer vacation season also active wildlife season
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Summer vacation season is in full swing, and humans are not the only animals that enjoy summer at Lake Tahoe. The national forest lands of the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit are home to an entire wildlife ecosystem. And they need your help to stay wild! This means securing trash and food from wildlife.
“When bears, geese, coyotes, raccoons, and other wildlife repeatedly obtain access to human food and garbage with no consequences, wildlife quickly learn to associate humans with food,” said Wildlife Biologist, Shay Zanetti. “This can cause human-wildlife conflicts with potentially serious consequences.”
The lure of human food and garbage can cause wildlife to cross busy highways and roads which increases the risk of them getting struck by vehicles. Vehicle collisions endanger the lives of both people and wildlife.
Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit Food and Refuse Storage Forest Order No. 19-24-03 only allows food and garbage on national forest lands secured in a bear-resistant container. Hard-sided bear canisters are required for overnight visits to Desolation Wilderness. Bear-resistant containers are required in other backcountry areas.
And don’t feed the wildlife.
In California and Nevada, it is illegal to feed wildlife. Beyond the immediate safety risks, consuming human garbage can sicken or kill forest animals. Wildlife, including bears, often consume harmful ingredients (like sugar and artificial preservatives), or non-digestible items (like foil, plastic, paper, and even metal) that disturb their digestive systems and can lead to death. Over time, a trash-based diet can damage teeth and cause poor health, making it difficult for wildlife to survive in the wild.
When wildlife consumes natural foods, they help distribute seeds and nutrients through their scat, to grow and sustain native plants and vegetation. When wildlife seek out only human food, the environment loses those benefits.
Leave no trace and secure vehicles and buildings.
Finally, always remove food and trash from vehicles. And be sure to keep vehicle windows closed and doors locked. Same for locking building doors and windows to prevent wildlife from entering. Please help keep Tahoe’s wildlife wild.
For more information on how to live and recreate responsibly in bear country, visit tahoebears.org and bearwise.org.
To report human-bear conflicts:If the issue is an immediate threat, call the local sheriff’s department or 911.In California, contact the California Department of Fish and Wildlife at 916-358-2917. Or report online using the Wildlife Incident Reporting system at apps.wildlife.ca.gov/wir.Non-emergency wildlife interactions in California State Parks can be reported to their public dispatch at 916-358-1300.In Nevada, contact the Nevada Department of Wildlife at 775-688-BEAR (2327).
