Bear Awareness

Watching a bear can be a wonderful experience. As more people live close to their woodland homes, the chances of seeing black bears are rising. The key is to stay at a safe distance and never let bears get into birdseed, garbage or other human food that can lead them into trouble. 

Learn More: BearWise Basics | Bear Safety Tips  | Bear Aware Guide for Homeowner’s & Renter’s

Once conditioned to human sources of food, bears will seek them out, creating conflicts with humans. Attracting bears to urban areas can also increase risk of vehicle collisions, harming both humans and bears. The bear’s behavior will not stop voluntarily, and unless the nuisance behavior can be corrected, bears may be killed to ensure public safety. In order to avoid these deaths, food sources must be removed. People have a responsibility to the wildlife whose habitat they are sharing. Never Feed a Bear! 

Feeding Wildlife is Illegal

Do NOT feed black bears or other wildlife. Feeding big game animals is prohibited in California (Title 14 CCR § 251.3. Prohibition Against Feeding Big Game Mammals).

Wild Animal Incident Reporting

1. Sierra County Sheriff's Office non-emergency number (530) 289-3700
2. Wildlife Conflict Hotline (916) 358-2917 or the Department of Fish and Wildlife on-line portal

An "incident" is defined as an interaction with a wild animal creating a real or perceived threat to property, human safety and/or the safety of the animal. California Department of Fish and Wildlife Bear Policy.