Part of Lassen Volcanic National Park's backcountry has been closed to camping for 60 days due to careless campers.
A backcountry area of Lassen Volcanic National Park in California has been closed to camping for 60 days because one or more bears were able to obtain improperly stored food and/or scented items from campers.
The closure extends one mile in all directions from the following lakes frequently accessed from Summit Lake Trailhead: Echo, Upper Twin, Lower Twin, Swan, and Rainbow Lake.
"There have been multiple reports from visitors of a bear (or bears) coming into campsites and searching backpacks for food in these areas," park staff reported. "This is a learned behavior from visitors leaving scented items in their backpacks and not storing them in proper bear-resistant containers."
Another learned behavior is that backpackers don't pose a threat.
"The bear has also been unresponsive to hazing by hikers. In one incident the bear boldly searched a campsite and gear undeterred by backpackers yelling and making loud noises nearby," a park release said Friday.
The closure is intended to reduce negative human and bear interactions and provide the bear(s) with a period to return to normal foraging behavior before further action is required. The closure does not apply to hiking or stock use, however users are encouraged to exercise caution and be bear aware.
All visitors can protect themselves and park wildlife by being bear aware. When hiking in the park: never leave your pack unattended, make noise to avoid surprising a bear, and be particularly alert for bear activity when near streams or vegetation. If you come upon a bear, walk away slowly―never run or drop your pack.
Backpackers are required to store all food and scented items in an approved, bear-resistant storage container while in the park. Canisters are available for rent at the Loomis Museum or Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center during business hours. Backpackers can view a list of containers certified by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC) or learn more about backpacking regulations at go.nps.gov/lavo/backpacking.
Lassen Volcanic is home to a population of approximately 30 black bears; there are no brown or grizzly bears in the park. Information about black bears in the park is provided in large part by visitor-submitted wildlife sighting reports. Please report wildlife sightings, especially any threatening behavior, to a park employee.
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Comments
I found that once a bear has scored food that making noise probably doesn't work. One time a bear had broken into a bear box with a malfunctioning lock a couple of sites from ours. I had a case of bottled water on top of my bear box, and probably should have gone over and started throwing them at the bear and hitting it. That's supposed to work with the American black bear. When a park ranger arrived the bear just took off, knowing that they typically have projectile weapons like bean bag and paintball guns.
The thing to do is throw objects at them if noise doesn't work. However, that has to be taken with caution. There was one time that a group of Boy Scouts actually killed a bear with rocks. It was probably ready to leave, but the kids panicked and kept on throwing them when it was probably time to stop.