A screen shot of the bear warnings posted on the County’s Lopez Lake webpage. Photo courtesy SLO County Parks
Heads up Yogi Bear, your picnic basket raiding days are numbered.
San Luis Obispo Parks and Recreation Department has asked Supervisors to “implement a Safe Coexist Wildlife Protection Project at Lopez Lake Recreation Area,” reads a report from Assistant Parks Director Shaun Cooper.
The project will carry a budget of up to $1.26 million taken out of the General Government Building Replacement Designation and put into the Regional Parks fund. And it’s all to stop marauding bears.
Cooper explained, “Lopez Lake Recreation Area, with its nearly 400 campsites, has continued to experience increasing bear activity within the campground. Bears have become habituated to human food, leading to frequent encounters with visitors and incidents in which bears search for improperly stored food, trash, coolers, and even vehicles for food sources.”
The County has tried talking to campers about their bad food storage habits but it hasn’t deterred the bears.
“Despite ongoing efforts,” Cooper said, “to inform and educate campers about proper food storage practices, including strict rules requiring that all food and trash be secured in bear-proof dumpsters or hard-sided vehicles when not in use, the problem has persisted.
“Reports of human-wildlife encounters have continued to increase, and visitors, despite posted warnings and staff outreach, have unintentionally placed themselves in situations, including encounters between mother bears and cubs.”
Today, black bears are the common species of bear, but grizzly bears also once roamed all over the state. But the last known living California grizzly bear, was killed in the early 1920s.
The County has been working with State Fish and Wildlife officials on addressing the problem, but so far nothing has really worked. “Unfortunately,” Cooper said, “when bears lose their natural fear of humans, in pursuit of food, they often must be removed for public safety reasons.”
A bear that constantly raids cars and campsites, means it would either have to be tranquilized and relocated well out of the area for release, or in the case of a dangerous bear, it might have to be killed.
Fish and Wildlife has made some recommendations that the County wants to try. “CDFW,” Cooper said, “has recommended several additional mitigation measures, including the Installation of bear resistant food storage boxes at every camping site, expanded bear-proof trash enclosures throughout the campground, and additional bear-proof dumpsters.”
These measures will begin to be implemented this fall, Cooper said.
They really have little choice in the matter, as Lopez Lake is among the County’s most often-used recreational water bodies, rivaled only by Lake Nacimiento. It’s a major tourist draw and one of the few drinking water reservoirs that is open to swimming, fishing and boating.
“Without additional bear-resistant infrastructure,” Cooper said, “human-bear encounters are expected to continue increasing, creating ongoing risks to visitor safety and wildlife management at Lopez Lake Recreation Area.”
And while Lopez Lake is getting the attention with regards to troubles with bears, it should be noted that black bears roam all over this county and anytime one is out in the wilderness, you could encounter a black bear. For tips on what to do and what not to do when encountering a bear, see the National Parks Service website at: www.nps.gov/subjects/bears/safety.htm.
For information about Lopez Lake and the recreational opportunities and amenities available, see the website at: slocountyparks.com/camp/lopez-lake.
