Genoa Town Board member-elect Perry Hand took this photo of a bear in his back yard.
Residents of the Riverview Mobile Home Park awoke on Aug. 1 to learn that a bear raiding their neighborhood was hit and killed by a car earlier that morning.
According to a neighbor, the state had a bear trap at the location just off the East Fork of the Carson River.
That was the 13th bear death as a result of a vehicle collision, higher than average for this time of year, according to the Nevada Department of Wildlife.
Members of the Douglas County Advisory Board to Manage Wildlife are scheduled to discuss a draft letter to the towns of Minden and Gardnerville regarding bear resistant bear cans at their meeting 5 p.m. today at the Douglas County Community Center’s Carson Valley Health Room.
The towns collect trash within their boundaries, and the trailer park is well south of Gardnerville’s service area.
State Game Biologist Becca Carniello said unsecured garbage is a significant reason bears come into neighborhoods.
“Unsecured trash provides bears with an easy, dependable, high-calorie food source,” she said. “As bears are drawn into neighborhoods in search of food, they are more likely to cross roads and highways, increasing the risk of vehicle collisions for both bears and motorists.”
Residents in Douglas County are required to secure garbage from wildlife and can request bear-resistant trash carts from their waste collection provider to help reduce conflicts, improve public safety, and keep bears wild.
“Another likely factor is a reduction in the availability of natural forage this year,” Carniello said. “As natural food sources become less abundant, bears travel greater distances in search of food. While black bears are highly adaptable and can shift to a variety of natural food sources, once they discover easy access to human foods, they often continue returning to those areas, increasing the likelihood of encounters with people and roadways.”
With the Bug and Stallion fires burning north of Reno, the state also issued an alert on Monday that wild animals fleeing the blazes could turn up in places people aren’t accustomed to seeing them.
“Give animals plenty of space and allow them to move through the area on their own,” the state advised. “Keep pets away, never chase, corner or attempt to move wildlife, and use extra caution on roadways where animals may be crossing.”