Smarting the Average Bear

We learned that “Carlos the Bear,” as he’s been nicknamed by locals, has ranged from the San Carlos Ranch and Romero Canyon area through Ennisbrook trail down to Jameson. He’s looking for food, during hyperphagia, when bears try to put on weight for the winter. This behavior is expected to calm with cooler weather as bears in Southern California go into torpor, or dormant, state for the winter. The key is to not be attractive as a food source. We also learned there is another bear family possibly living close to the Toro Canyon park. Great neighbors spoke at the Townhall, some to report successes they’d had at keeping the bear away from their livestock and property.

Bear-proofing tips CA Fish and Wildlife offered:

1. Invest in bear-proof trashcans, or store trash cans in your garage and take it out the morning of pickup. We’ve got a call in to Marborg on this.

2. Install an electrified fence around livestock enclosures. This seems to work really well.

3. Strip fruit trees (particularly avocado – a bear favorite) as often as possible. We’ve got contacts with food-harvesting organizations that will do it for you, and distribute the fruit to those in need in our community. Bears don’t like citrus, though.

4. If your Ring camera reveals bear visits close to your house, then perhaps invest in a Bear Unwelcome mat. This delivers a low-charge shock that repels bears.

Bears are looking for easy food to stock up on calories. The best way to avoid bear visits is to not be a viable food source, a fairly easy thing to accomplish.

5G Hazards

We’re going to hear about the hazards of 5G, and how it could impact our efforts to underground our utilities at our next Land Use Committee meeting on December 1at 4 pm. You’re welcome to come!