[pct-l] Yosemite Bear Encounters Are Increasing

[Bighummel@aol.com (Bighummel@aol.com)]

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The Yosemite Association reports:

Encounters between bears and visitors to Yosemite National Park are
increasing after three years of sharp declines.


Park officials say it's not the bears' fault. They blame careless visitors.

There have been 329 conflicts so far this year, up from 230 in 2001. In one
week alone this month, bears raided 11 campsites and 14 cars searching for
food.

The bears may be having trouble finding as many berries, insects and grasses
as they usually eat, so they're taking advantage of people who store food
improperly, said wildlife biologist Steve Thompson, director of the park's
bear management program.

"We've had such low levels of incidents over the past couple years that
people have let down their guard," he told The Fresno Bee. "They haven't been
as careful in storing their food, and more people are leaving food in
vehicles and leaving food out in campgrounds."

Bear incidents dropped 60 percent from 1998 to 2000, from 1,590 to 654, after
the park began a public education program and installed bear-proof food
lockers and food canisters. The park also posted warning signs and
instructions on safe food storage in campgrounds, visitor centers and
bathrooms.

The park even closed a campground last summer for the first time, so it could
use part of the Rancheria Falls Campground to teach three black bear cubs to
eat ants and berries instead of campers' food.

Park officials also started using noisemakers and beanbag guns last year to
harass bears that enter campgrounds.

"Once they leave the developed area, we leave them alone so, hopefully, they
get the message that it's just not worth the hassle," said Deb Schweizer, a
member of the park's Bear Council. "But the message visitors need to get is,
bear management and keeping bears wild is an ongoing process."

Instead, she said, "visitors maybe got the message that we solved the
problem."

The park last week had a Bear Awareness Day, when Yosemite Valley visitors
could study bear behavior and pick apples in an orchard that officials said
may be attracting bears.

It's not just food that draw the animals, but cosmetics, suntan lotion, lip
balm: "Anything that has a scent," Schweizer said.

Backpackers also are having more problems with bears this year, with park
officials advising them to store food in bear-proof canisters that fit into a
backpack and are available for rent in the park.

"Bears are wild animals. They are dangerous, and our visitors should keep
them at great length," said Schweizer. "It's the responsibility of everyone
who comes to the park."