Despite a wet winter, the Lake Tahoe basin is experiencing another early start to “bear season.” It’s early May and we’ve already installed several of our bear deterrent systems in response to residential break-ins in the South Lake Tahoe, Tahoe City, and Squaw Valley areas. As has been the trend over the last few years, we expect most of the early bear activity to be confined to neighborhoods where the snow has already melted. By July, nearly all neighborhoods should be free of snow and bears will be active across the entire region until the snow returns in November.
We also expect to see an uptick in bear break-ins in South Lake Tahoe and Incline Village this summer due to improvements in trash management in those areas. Bear boxes in those areas are still optional for most residents, but that may change soon. In our experience, bears are more likely to break into homes in areas where trash isn’t easily accessible.
Whatever the level of bear activity this summer, one thing’s for sure – bears will be hungry and they’ll be showing their cubs where the preferred food sources are. It’s up to us to make sure they don’t learn to get their food from our trash cans and refrigerators.
