Bear Program

Sierra Club plans program on local bear history - Noted wildlife biologist Kevin Brennan will present "Grizzlies and Black Bears in the San Gabriel Mountains" at 7:30 PM Wednesday January 25, at Eaton Canyon Nature Center, 1750 N. Altadena Drive.

Sponsored by the Sierra Club Forest Committee, the program will trace the history of the mighty grizzly bear that used to dominate local mountains and valleys.

Brennan, who has worked for the past 20 years with the California Department of Fish & Game, will also discuss the history and habits of the black bear, the successor to the grizzly that now roams our neighborhoods and hot tubs, and how humans can best live near the black bears of the San Gabriels. The public is welcome. Reception and refreshments are at 7:00 PM, the program begins at 7:30 PM.

Big Bear on Canyon Dell

From a neighbor on Canyon Dell"

"We have had a really large (550lb+) brown bear in our yard since around 7:00 pm tonight.  We have a ripe persimmon tree, but our trash cans got ravaged even though they were secure.  We had the sheriffs come out and they scared him off, but I have a feeling he will be back tonight.  I startled him once, looking for my cat (he scared me pretty good too!), but came right back like it was no big deal.  I know it's part of living up here, and that is cool, but this guy was REALLY big and not shy. People in The Meadows should be careful."

New Bear Picture

New bear picture from a resident on Risinghill.  Not sure of the date.

Bear Resistant Trash Cans

A note from Alice Wessen about bear resistant trash containers:


If you live in an Altadena area where you feel you need a bear resistant trash container (I do not dare say "proof") please contact Athens, our new franchise for trash collection and request one.

Be sure to list your address so they can verify your area is within the Altadena franchise area.

http://www.athensservices.com/contactus.asp

Bears generally do not go for landfill or green waste trash. But if you are putting out what I might call 'enticing trash' with food scraps and such, and you are regularly seeing your trash hit upon by bears, please be sure to contact Athens at the link above and ask.

We do not want to habituate bears to eating trash. Not good for them.

Bear Aware (continued)

There has been alot of discussion this week about the bears in The Meadows.  And that was meant to be plural. Past posts have talked only about a younger bear, but it turns out there is at least one other older bear, Together, they may be mother and cub. So, thought it worth to post again to keep awareness to it.

The bears have been mostly on Risinghill and continue to go into the trash cans to forage.  They've been seen as early as 9 p.m. in neighbors' yards faraging through trash cans and eating fruit from fruit trees, particularly figs.

So, continued suggestions for living in harmony with our wildlife:

• Don't put your trash out until trash day morning.
• Keep trash cans in your garage if you have one.
• Use double trash bags to minimize the scent.
• Keep pet food inside at night.
• Harvest your fruit. If you have some to give away, let me know and I'll post to this blog to share with neighbors.
• If a bear is near your house, make loud noise (clanging of pots and pans). Bears will usually leave the scene when noise is heard.
• Also, lights deter bears.  Maybe a motion sensor light is a good solution.

Calling the Sheriff may not be a real solution for a couple of reasons.  First, the bears will likely be gone by the time the Sheriff arrives.  Second, it's there policy to respond only when an attack has occurred and we can do plenty (all of the above) to never come near that situation.

Again, we share the land with the animals. Let's do all we can to coexist.

Bear Tracking

I'm adding these posts from neighbors just so everyone is aware of where our bear is.  Seems to be it is primarily on Risinghill except on trash night where its been seen on other streets.  A couple of posts have talked about how it heads down into Millard Canyon. 

Would love to post a picture if anyone gets one.

Here's one from tonight:

"On my run this evening at around 9:30PM, on Rising Hill, I unknowingly passed a residence with a bear in the front yard/driveway. After I was up the road for about ten yards, I heard the noise of some animal running, and I turned around to see a bear bolting from the residence into Millard Canyon (the portion of eastern side of Rising Hill where there are no homes). I ran a few yards futher up Rising Hill and turned back and made a few loud clapping noises, hoping to scare the bear, as I passed the open space of Millard Canyon."


"I'm constantly inspired by the natural scenery of the Meadows area."

We agree!

Bear Tracking

Just keeping everyone aware of the bear!

Seen early Saturday morning at 1:00 a.m. rummaging through the trash at a house on Risinghill closer to Canyon Crest. The neighbor made loud noises and the bear took off.

So, since we have a permanent resident here in The Meadows, some suggestions:

• Secure your trash cans
• Don't put food in the trash until the morning of trash day.  Or freeze it to be put in the trash the night before.  That takes the smell away.
• Bring in pet food at night.

From what I learned from a Park Ranger in Yosemite, bears track with their noses. It's all about taking the scent away so that we and the bear are safe.

Bear Aware Update

Another sighting reported to me this evening.

On this past Saturday night at 10:30, the bear entered the property of a house on the east side of Risinghill.  Sounds like the same bear - just under 200 lbs., looks young, paw to top of head about four feet.

He walked around the house and property and then headed down into Millard Canyon.

Past posts have been about the bear at Aralia and Canyon Crest on garbage night going through the cans and on the El Prieto Trail in the morning.

Suggestions for us as residents:

• Don't push trash out until the morning of trash day.
• Keep trash cans in a garage if you have one.
• Freeze food garbage to eliminate the odor
• Don't put pet food outside

Bears use their nose to find food and that's their main interest.

Any other tips I can share?

Be safe. Be bear aware.

Bear in The Meadows

From a neighbor on Aralia:

"I just wanted to give you a heads up that there is a bear in town.  I live on the south end of Aralia, near where it meets Canyon Crest and at about 1:15 AM this (Monday) morning, I heard a crash out front, so I went to the window with a flashlight.  Across the street was a bear eating from my neighbors trash cans.  He was dark brown or black, and looked to be a on the young side, but I'm not positive.  Figured I'd give you a heads up, and I will speak to the Sheriff tomorrow to see if there is anything that can be done."

More Bear Info

Neighbors at the top of Risinghill Road confirm that there are 2 bears, possibly a 3rd with the 3rd being a cub.

The biggest bear as well as the cub are black, the other is cinnamon colored and the most active and curious of the bunch.

Bears seem to be living in the canyon between the top of Risinghill Road and La Vina. They are very very active, visiting just after sundown and stay most of the night. They have been nightly visitors all summer long.

One morning, said neighbor awoke to find one bear asleep near the car. Bears had been coming up onto the porch so neighbor installed a 'driveway alarm' which can be bought at Harbor Freight for less than $20. They placed the receiver by the front door and when bears trip alarm, it sends a loud, high pitched screech, which sends the bears running away. It has worked beautifully.

Blog postings are correct, bears are very timid and run away when they see a human. We need to keep it that way. And it's true, bears do s**t in the woods. And on my lawn. And on my landing. And my backyard, frontyard, next to my car....


Also, DO NOT leave food or food wrappings in your car. Bears have amazingly sensitive noses. We learned the hard way!

Smokey's Back and Better Than Ever!

Thanks to Jane here in The Meadows, we now have a wonderful new Smokey the Bear sign on lower Canyon Crest. In addition, Woodsy Owl makes an appearance on the back of the sign.

The original Smokey the Bear sign had seen better days. It was the desire of many here in The Meadows to replace it with a restored version. With the approval of local authorities, Jane volunteered to recreate the sign with the original design since pre-made versions are no longer available.

Woodsy Owl makes its appearance to remind everyone about keeping the canyon pristine and free of trash.

A BIG thank you to Jane!

Bear on Patio Again!

A friend was sitting on my patio last Saturday at 5:00 p.m. when the very large bear came from behind my house. ( I live on El Priet Rd.) It was within 15 feet of her. She was able to slowly walk away and get to safety in my house. She saw it sniffing the air as if it were tracking something.

I've been emailing a ranger in Yellowstone who has a great web site about bears and safety: http://www.yellowstone-bearman.com/B_housesafe.html His response to my email follows. One point he makes is that the bear is probably tracking a food source. I don't keep any food, bird seed, BBQ, etc. outside my house. Also, my garbage cans are down near the garage. I don't put any food items in them until the morning of trash day.

Whatever we can all do to deter the bear would be advisable. It's getting too close for my comfort. Here's his response to my asking what I could do to deter the bear:

"The bear must be making its rounds in the neighborhood. There must be something nearby that is attracting the bear if there are no potential food items in your yard. I don't think placing ammonia in an empty can will prevent the bear from returning. Someone near you is either feeding the bear, or has some sort of food item out that is attracting the bear. Find that location and food item and remove it and the bear will move on. The reason the bear is smelling or appears to be tracking something is just the way bears try and locate food. It may not actually be smelling anything but just trying to see what is out there. Coming up onto your patio is not a good sign. This bear, I am betting, has gotten dog or cat food that was left out on other porches in the area and has learned that this is an easy food source.

"I would call you local Fish and Game Dept and let them know of the situation as well. They may need to fire a few rubber bullets or cracker shells to encourage it to move on."

More Bear Stories

From a neighbor in The Meadows:

"I went for a hike Friday night about 6:30. I headed up El Prieto Rd and was nearing the intersection were you can go right to Millard campground or left to Brown Mtn Rd (where there are lots of bees buzzing). There was a BIG bear that had just crossed the trail and was in the brush on the right about 30 feet from me. I heard the noise and saw him at the same time. He was huge! My eyes got as big as saucers. I watched him as I slowly backed away, he watched me but didn’t make a move. After about 30 seconds he turned and looked toward the canyon and then headed off. I decided it was a good time to turn back for home. He wasn’t scared of me but I was a bit unnerved by him!"

Big Bear in my Back Yard!

At 9:00 p.m. last night, Friday, my security lights turned on at the walkway behind my house and the brush. I looked out my windows to the patio and expected to see the typical raccoon or cat. Instead, a very large shadow appeared and then a beautiful and very large bear. It was literally 10 feet from my patio doors and had to weigh over 400 pounds.

I grabbed my camera and turned on the patio lights, but it was gone. I assumed it went into the brush, but the neighbor to the South of me on El Prieto said that it turned over his trash cans at around 9:30 p.m.

While it was thrilling to see, it's also a bit unnerving that it was so close to my house and also that it was early in the evening.

A little while later, I could hear neighbors' voices in the area. For anyone reading this, please let folks know that it is out and about and to take precautions.

Hunter / Bear Baiting Update

An update from a neighbor on on the bear baiting:

Hello all....
I just got this info from someone who lives in Millard Canyon responding to our reports of possible bear bait near the water tower off the fire road above Risinghill Road.


"I don't know about the donuts, but don't worry about the kibble and avocados placed there two weeks ago. They were placed there by a well-meaning man who released three raccoons there who had been caught in a trap in town. He hiked them all the way up there in order to give them a chance at freedom well away from the Angeles Crest Highway."

So, maybe what we have seen is not bear bait at all....though it does leave me wondering about the camo sleeping bag and padding, etc. that was found on the water tower itself. Is it possible that the other stuff had been there for some time and nobody noticed it until now????

Bear Baiting at Top of Risinghill

Please be aware that evidence of illegal baiting has been documented at the top of Rising Hill.
The concern is that Joe Clay is back hunting. Please use extreme caution and call the sheriffs immediately if you find any further evidence.

The Bear(s) are Really Active in The Meadows

Neighbors are still to be cautious as numerous bear sightings are being reported.

Here's one account:
"A neighbor on Sunmore came face to face with a big ass bear on our trash night (sic: assuming Monday night). He heard a noise and went down driveway. The bear was in a neighbor's trash cans. He put the flashlight on him and saw how big he was. The bear went over fence between his and and another neighbor's fence. "

From Greg: I do think he (they) go from Risinghill to Sunmore, through the brush to El Prieto behind my house. I found bear prints a second time on my patio and leading past my front door.

Bear in Backyard

The bear is making its way to El Prieto. I awoke to huge bear paw prints on my side and front patios this morning. My guess is that it is coming through the brush from Risinghill over to El Prieto. This happened about a year ago too. Seems the bear comes through the brush, checks out my pond at my patio, then makes its way past my front door to the street. Sorry I wasn't awake to take pictures!

Bear Back in The Meadows

Here's a series of emails that have been posting today regarding the return of a bear to The Meadows. The headline is that a large bear is appearing at the top of Risinghill as early as the afternoon. Please be safe and that includes your pets as well.

Here is the string of emails, all very interesting conversation:

FIRST EMAIL: Hi Meadowans!

Who else would it be? It is Day Ryan...again. This time to inform you of the above.

We who live at the top of Rising Hill, Canyon Crest and El Prieto usually see the proof of the bear on Sunday and Monday evenings...the nights before our trash pick up...and view it as no big deal.

Well now the bear has been hanging around a little more frequently and what concerns me and my parents is that it has been much earlier in the evening.

This past Monday evening my dad spotted the bear while coming home at approximately 9:30P. It ran from our neighbors driveway across the street and down towards the canyon. Last night at 9:00P, my dad heard our trash can fall over and could hear the bear rummaging though the trash. My dad banged on the door in our garage and the bear moved to the end of our driveway. eating something it found. I ran to the window and could see this BEAUTIFUL beast and I must say it is a WHOPPER in size! It then waddled across the street to Lacy's yard and walked towards the back and I'm sure up the hillside.

Now, I am no Jack Hannah nor work for the National Geographic however, I strongly believe that it is a pregnant female. When I say that it was waddling...it was waddling like it was carrying a heavy load!

I wanted to sound the alarm to you to just PLEASE be careful when you come home after dark, take the garbage out or go to your car no matter what time it is. Again, I have been accustomed to knowing that the bear would come down the mountain during the hours of 11:00P until 4:00 or 5:00A.

Thanks for your time!!!

Day



SECOND EMAIL:
The bear was also spotted at the top of Risinghill on Sunday afternoon at about 4:30 by some hikers, and I saw it on Monday night at about 11:00 pm, standing in front of my house (4595 Risinghill). It went across the road and down into the canyon.This is the larger of the two bears that we see around. The smaller one is the one we usually see (small and large being relative - I would say that the smaller one is about 300 lbs, the bigger one is about 450), but the bigger bear has been around lately. It is much slower-moving than the smaller one, holds its head a little lower, and is not as willing to move away when it sees people. It was dark when I saw it, of course, but from what I could see it did not look pregnant. It would be an odd time of year for a bear to be in an advanced pregnancy - they usually give birth in January then disappear for a few months nursing the cubs in a den. Although, with global warming and generally messed-up weather, nothing would surprise me anymore. (But wouldn't it be incredibly exciting if we got to see baby bears being raised in our neighborhood?! that would be so great!)The bear in front of my house was very busy eating something, but I couldn't see what it was. I went to look the next morning, and it had dug up some of the ground above the retaining wall and disrupted things a little, but I still couldn't tell for sure. There are a lot of snails around this time of year, and snails and slugs are yummy yummy bear treats, so maybe it was that.Both of 'our' bears are quite chubby - and that's a good thing. That means that they are getting plenty of their natural food supply and that they are healthy. A healthy, full-bellied black bear is not generally a threat to people. Remember that almost all the scary 'person-eaten-by-bear' stories are about encounters with brown bears (grizzlies), not our black bears, which are generally harmless unless you provoke them, scare them (in such a way that they feel cornered) or get between a mother and cubs. Because of where we live, pretty much any time we leave our houses there is the chance of encountering our native wildlife. As Day says, we just need to be alert to our surroundings, keep our pets and children under control and where we can see them, and when we do encounter wildlife, stay calm and enjoy the experience.



THIRD EMAIL:
Thanks for the information regarding the bears. A possible explanation for their return is that someone appears to be putting out food (pellets and ripe avocados) by the water crossing on the fire road, just East of the El Prieto trailhead. Don't know what the intentions are for this, but just wanted everyone to be aware of it -- especially those walking dogs.


FOURTH EMAIL:
I have a strong suspicion that the person(s) who are putting any type of food out is the deer hunter. Unfortunately, he is also known (by the Dept of Fis & Game) to illegally trap and hunt bears.
A couple of months ago there was a mound of dog food foing by the water tank when you cross the small creek in the fire road.


FIFTH EMAIL:
I'm willing to go pick up any food (bait) that anyone sees left out on the trails. I'm home during the day so I can do it in daylight. The only problem is, I don't know our trails well at all (not a big hiker), but if someone can maybe email me a map with the trails marked, so I can figure out where I need to go, I can make it my responsibility to get stuff like that off the trails whenever anyone sees it. Plus I can use the fruit for any baby animals that I am rehabbing at the time.

Cougar Attacks Increasing

A note from our TownCouncil person. A little log, but plenty of good information:

Cougar attacks on dogs are increasing in our region. In two incidents this week, one dog died and two were seriously injured (Monrovia & Glendora). In cases to date, the dogs involved had been left unattended in a back yard.I

n addition a cougar was spotted on Canon street and up in Millard in the last few days.

We live in Cougar Country and want to take precautions to keep all of us, including mountain lions, safe! Here's some great information on preventing attacks.

Cougars, along with other predators including bears, coyotes, foxes, and bobcats, frequently travel down local canyons and streambeds from higher elevations into the Altadena foothills, seeking water and prey in nearby chaparral and oak woodland. This region is their home, as well as ours. Mountain lions (Puma concolor) are generally elusive and unlikely to attack people; however, they are also large and powerful wild cats that will sometimes kill and eat domestic dogs and small livestock.

Be aware of your surroundings. Assume that a cougar is nearby, especially at dawn, dusk and at night. At the same time, keep the danger in perspective. In spite of their presence all around us, cougar attacks are extremely rare. You and your dog are far more likely to be killed by a car, than attacked by a mountain lion. There are a few basic precautions we can all take to reduce the risk of confrontation with these magnificent big cats.

Protect Dogs & Keep Cougars Wild!
The California Dept. of Fish & Game seldom captures and relocates mountain lions. If a cougar poses a potential public threat, it will be killed. Your actions affect both the safety of your companion animals and the cougar's survival. Please…

-Keep dogs, other pets & small livestock indoors, in secure barns,or outdoor enclosures. Even large dogs left unattended in backyards near wild areas are vulnerable to attack, especially by mountain lions and coyotes. Standard fences and walls will not stop a cougar. Enclosures must have a sturdy roof.

-If a cougar is observed while you are outdoors, do not approach it closely or block its escape routes. Do not turn your back on the cat, panic or run. Face the cougar upright, yell at it in an aggressive, loud voice, and throw rocks or other objects in hand at the cougar. Wait for the cat to leave before leaving yourself.

- If you or your dog are attacked, fight back. Cougars will often drop dogs and flee when owners chase them or attack with sticks or other improvised weapons.

- Avoid hiking, running & biking alone, especially at dawn, dusk and during the evening. Keep a close watch on small children and dogs while on trails or in day use areas of the Forest.

-Do not encourage your dog to chase or attack a cougar. A cougar may obligingly retreat up a tree defend itself by maiming or killing the dog.

Help keep all of us, including mountain lions, safe!