In The News – Bears in vacant homes? Call your neighbors first
January 30, 2026 | Member Submitted
Originally Published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, 1/30/2026, Written by Eli Ramos
As bears settle into crawlspaces under unsecured homes this winter, you may be tempted to chase them off or call someone to handle the situation. But if it’s not your property, it’s still trespassing. While it might be frustrating to let sleeping bears lie, calling your neighbors should be your first course rather than stepping in.
Ann Bryant, executive director of the BEAR League, says that since she started the organization, the number of bears sleeping under people’s homes has grown to 150 every winter. But while their volunteers often haze bears out of neighborhoods, they aren’t allowed to go on property they haven’t been given permission to enter.