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May 21, 2008 11:57 am US/Pacific
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Calif. And Nevada Join To Combat Tahoe Bears
RENO, Nevada (AP) ―
State wildlife officials in California and Nevada announced a new agreement today to pool their resources in response to the record number of bear problems reported at Lake Tahoe last year.
The joint effort calls for the California Department of Fish and Game and the Nevada Department of Wildlife to share information, personnel, equipment and supplies in a cooperative black bear management program.
California's bear population is growing and is currently estimated to be between 25,000 and 35,000. Nevada has an estimated 350 black bears, mostly concentrated in the Tahoe Basin area.
Last year was the worst across the Reno-Tahoe region in terms of conflicts.
NDOW bear program coordinator Carl Lackey says wildlife officials responded to up to 1,500 calls involving 120 different bears.
Among other things, under the new program, the agencies will share computer databases. They say that will give them more information about black bear nuisance and property damage incidents, as well as locations, telemetry and urban and wild land bear distribution population characteristics.
(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)