The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has launched a new blog on its website called the “Bear Naked Truth” to provide Lake Tahoe-area residents and visitors with accurate, up-to-date information on Tahoe Basin bear activity along with CDFW guidance and best practices for coexisting with black bears.

“It’s been a busy summer in Lake Tahoe with regard to bear activity and conflicts,” said Jordan Traverso, CDFW’s deputy director of communications. “One of the things we’ve learned from this is that there is a tremendous hunger among residents for reliable, truthful and practical information about bear activity and CDFW’s policies, management and response to that activity. We expect this new blog to help address that information void.”

Tahoe Basin residents can find the Bear Naked Truth blog at the following address: wildlife.ca.gov/conservation/mammals/black-bear/blog. There is an option to subscribe and receive blog updates by e-mail. The blog features CDFW contact information for residents dealing with bear issues, links to CDFW’s bear policies and best practices for living and recreating safely in bear country.

“Our responsibilities regarding bears in the Tahoe Basin, and all of California for that matter, are ensuring a healthy black bear population, public safety and education,” Traverso said. “This blog will help advance those goals. Bears can become public safety threats if they become comfortable around people and dependent on human food and garbage. Keeping these bears wild for their own well-being and the well-being of those who live and vacation in Lake Tahoe is in everybody’s best interest.”

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Media Contact: Peter Tira, CDFW Communications, (916) 215-3858