Wildlife Safety Town Hall: Appreciated but Long Overdue

DOWNIEVILLE — Last Friday, the Sierra County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) hosted a Town Hall Meeting with a few California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) members, including biologists, scientists, and law enforcement. Locals gathered at the Community Hall to hear a two-hour presentation and discussions on mountain lions and bears. Local sentiments regarding the meeting ranged from appreciation to feeling like this was a “day late and a dollar short.” Others showed up solely to support Sheriff Fisher’s efforts in getting a meeting of this nature, aware that support from CDFW in the SCSO’s handling of the 124 documented bear issues from March 2024 to the present has been, at times, severely lacking.

Attendees quickly noticed and heard about our Sheriff’s progress in overcoming obstacles and garnering participation and support from CDFW addressing our wildlife concerns. Fisher acknowledged that communications between the SCSO and CDFW have strengthened over the last summer and is “hoping to strengthen communication between our locals and Fish & Wildlife.”

Resources within CDFW, like many agencies within the state, are stretched thin, and staffing shortages sometimes hinder the ability to adequately get the many tasks and jobs done within the agency. CDFW being stretched too thin may account for the noticed absence of Sierra County’s only assigned game warden, Zeke Aubrey, and his superior, Lt. Kroll, from the meeting.

CDFW bureaucracy may leave taxpayers confused and irritated, with processes for resolving issues appearing convoluted. Thus, the meeting began with a slide on the chain of command throughout the agency. In a nutshell, CDFW is split between law enforcement officers on one side of the house and, on the other, the biologists. In the olden days, game wardens were more abundant and free to handle business accordingly as problems presented themselves without the rigmarole of other departments signing off on depredations, etc. (scientists and wildlife conflict specialists) are long gone.

Assistant Chief Erica Manes and Captain Chris Stoots were in attendance from the Law Enforcement side of the house.

Individuals representing that “other side of the house,” responsible for duties in some or all of the 17 counties that make up the North Central Region, included Environmental Scientist Megan O’Connor, Regional Manager Morgan Kilgour, Wildlife Lands Supervisor Ryan Leahy, and Scientific Aid Arianna Sarchi Flood.

On the topic of bears, CDFW outlined a number of facts, including that a bear has a sense of smell seven times better than a dog’s and can smell canned goods or spice cabinets. If a bear is in one’s home, they suggest getting out and calling 911 and never getting between a mother and her cub. Loud noises can repel a bear in a yard, but if attacked, do not play dead; instead, fight back.

Additional advice from CDFW included not leaving human food, pet food, trash, or scented items outside and not keeping bird feeders. They also suggest cleaning barbecue grills. One significant point was that food-conditioned bears would not return to wildlife and would continue to return to human sources. Electric fences are one of the most effective tools for keeping bears away from garbage, chickens, livestock, beehives, fruit trees, gardens, and structures. The BearWise organization (BearWise.org) provides further resources on minimizing bear-human interaction and driving bears toward natural food sources.

Most information in the California black bear presentation made by Mr. Leahy was not new to folks present, to the point where Leahy clarified “we’re not trying to be insulting” to locals’ experiences and understanding of bears and prevention of conflicts. It was O’Connor’s mountain lion information, however, which many found interesting.

Attendees learned that “40% of California is considered suitable habitat for mountain lions,” with a whopping 40 million people in the state and the population growing, mountain lion sightings and encounters will increase.

The mountain lion has been a protected mammal in California since around 1990, and Morgan Kilgour interrupted O’Connor to remind the audience that the voters made this designation.

According to O’Connor, “most folks are familiar with the 4-6,000 number which has been kicked around since the 90s...recent research reports its actually closer to 4100-5100 throughout the entire state.”

Regarding the number of lions collared, O’Connor explained that at least ten non-government agencies are studying the lions and placing collars on them. At the moment, there are none in Sierra and Plumas Counties. CDFW has 120 collars in its possession to use when opportunities present themselves. As far as the entire state, the number collared through CDFW is close to 15 but is expected to rise to 100 or more as different programs are in place across the state to track the lions.

CDFW is just now analyzing data from 2014-2019 collared mountain lions. The battery on those collars is meant to drop off at some point, so it doesn’t interfere with animal growth. The collar must be collected, and the data must be retrieved before the battery dies.

Another detail is that male mountain lions travel more extensively between 110 and over 1,000 square kilometers, while females travel 30-300 square kilometers. One slide showed incredible movement over large distances from one cat in El Dorado County within two hours.

Mountain lions don’t have a specific breeding season. Better habitat conditions can promote more breeding. Litters are 1-3 kittens, staying with the mom 1 1/2 - 2 years until they disperse. One slide trail camera in Plumas County showed multiple lions, with most folks thinking they were looking at four adult cats, yet three were the offspring still hanging out with their mom.

Assessments on the life span of these cats were provided. O’Connor finds that in safer habitats, mountain lions can live up to and past 12 years; however, for example, in the Western Sierra Nevadas, adult males don’t make it beyond 2 or 3.

A myth would have many believe that mountain lions are not active during the day, and seeing one during the daytime indicates something is wrong with the cat. However, this is unfounded. At the same time, they are most active early in the morning and late at night.

Mountain lion issues are not as frequent as bear issues. Columnist Susana Hernández wondered where the Downieville bears have gone. The Mess posed this question on her behalf to Leahy, who believes the bears are busy enjoying areas abundant with acorns, berries, and other foresty items- trying to accumulate the needed 20,000 daily caloric intake for this time of year.

Should there be a local wildlife issue, the routine for wildlife conflicts is the same. Sheriff Fisher requested Sierra Countians contact the Sheriff’s Office first to report problems at (530) 289-3700. The Sheriff’s Office will document the incident, send help if warranted, and contact Fish and Wildlife. Of course, if there is an actual emergency, dial 911. After talking to the Sheriff’s Office, the caller should also call the Fish and Wildlife hotline at (916) 358-2917.