Glenbrook contending with unwanted bears

By Kathryn Reed

A bear was captured in Glenbrook on Monday by the Nevada Department of Wildlife and released the next day near Mount Rose.

According to Linda Bradley, manager of the Glenbrook Homeowners Association, the last time the state was asked to trap a bear in their neighborhood was in 2008.

She told Lake Tahoe News this particular yearling was not scared off by loud noises as other bears are. She also didn’t want to run the risk of it entering a home, when then the consequences for the bear could be fatal.

Bears in Tahoe neighborhoods is a fairly common thing. Photo/LTN file

Bradley said she spoke with the BEAR League this week about policies at Glenbrook and invited the animal organization to speak at a community event to make people more bear-aware.

Two to three other bears consider these 750 acres home, Bradley said.

Chris Healy with NDOW said there are two traps in the general Glenbrook area still.

“They have bears that are doing some property damage,” Healy told Lake Tahoe News. “People have concerns the bears are not afraid enough of humans.”

Glenbrook has community bear-proof dumpsters for people to leave their trash in, which is encouraged if they are vacation renters or leaving before trash day.

The rumor that the homeowners are trying to get rid of beavers is not true, according to Healy. He said the last time Glenbrook HOA asked for a depredation permit was in 2008.

However, two active beaver permits have been issued to Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course. And there is an ongoing permit for Incline Creek.

With beavers being large rodents, they cannot be trapped and relocated. This is true for all regions of the country.

“Is the life of that one animal worth all the damage that is happening?” – that is one criteria of whether a permit will be issued, Healy explained.

With the controversial permit for Incline that was first issued last year, the beavers were impacting a sewer line, which could lead to a messy spill that would have the potential of reaching Lake Tahoe.

Healy said beavers are an on again, off again issue in the basin.