South Tahoe Refuse Proposed Garbage Tote and Enclosure Pilot Program

TKPOA members know that 2020 and 2021 saw a change in behavior for a few of our resident black bears. They (1 or 2) began punching out wooden garage door panels to access garbage and trash stored inside.

These bears soon figured out that food was also stored inside the main residence buildings, and they graduated to entering through open/unlocked windows, doors, and sliders. Once inside the building they proceeded to destroy kitchens, refrigerators, and cupboards in their drive to find human food supplies.

The Architectural Control Committee (ACC) and paid staff in the department (ACD) have wrestled with this for two years, and we’re happy to report some progress is being made. We have met with representatives from CA Department of Fish & Wildlife and South Tahoe Refuse Company (STR).

Soon TKPOA members may view a new design garbage “tote enclosure” being tested at a home along Tahoe Keys Blvd. The wheeled totes hold 65-gallon capacity (equal to 2 standard garbage cans). The enclosures are bear/animal proof. Some might refer to these new systems as “bear boxes”, but STR is using a new description (totes & enclosures). The steel enclosures are set close to ground level so a full tote (very heavy) can be wheeled in and out easily. STR wants to test launch a wholly new trash pickup service over the next two years. This is being driven by the need for STR to convert the present service of man-handling 32-gallon garbage cans into an automated hydraulic service that does the heavy-lifting into the trucks. Man-handling these very heavy loads takes a physical toll on the workers.

STR is willing to test launch this new service in the Tahoe Keys. If successful, the new service may include: • 65-gallon totes and steel animal proof enclosures. The totes are heavy poly design, with animal proof latches. • 65-gallon totes without the enclosure. • 90-gallon totes with animal proof latches, without the enclosure. No tote or enclosure, service continues as presently provided.

A separate pricing structure would be developed for various scenarios. Totes may be available by the 2022 spring season. The steel enclosures may be available shortly there-after.

ACC will be designing new draft rules for garbage storage, and the positioning and screening of enclosures after receiving feedback from members. These rules would be announced in the Keys Breeze for a 30-day comment period. The TKPOA Board of Directors would then decide if the rules would go into effect as proposed, be modified, or be dropped altogether. TKPOA and STR would like to invite TKPOA members to stop-by the test location and then give your feedback on the new system to the ACD staff at the pavilion, or by email at lcallahan@tahoekeyspoa.org.

What about the future? Sadly, it appears that there are way too many black bears inhabiting South Lake Tahoe. Some estimates range in the neighborhood of 200+ black bears just on the California side of the Tahoe Basin.

TKPOA is considering working with several organizations (state, Federal and local) to develop a truly coordinated strategy for managing the population of these large creatures. The majority of basin residents love our fuzzy friends and do not want them harmed. On the other hand, there is very little room to naturally spread-out a very large bear population that continues to increase rapidly and has learned to forage for food in the urban environment. Long range and short-range solutions must be developed. Pots, pans, and paintballs won’t

change the mating habits of black bears, and their numbers likely will continue to increase. There are few places to transport or chase them off to. A considerable part of our surrounding landscape has been changed by fire or manipulated for fire protection (logged) which can alter the natural food source for years or even decades. And more of the Basin landscape is now scheduled for intense fuel treatments. Also consider that bears don’t normally inhabit the high elevation wilderness area which is mostly granite and offers little in the way of natural food. So, what to do?

It has been suggested that a consortium of interested government and non-government organizations (NGOs) ban together to form and recommend a collective strategy, which some say should include bear tagging and bear birth-control. That would be a very expensive long-term solution…. but it’s humane! For example, the state of Nevada and BLM just completed the annual wild horse and burro roundup, and 133 mares were treated with a fertility control vaccine so they could be released back on the range without contributing to the overpopulation problem. It seems like Tahoe should be able to consider similar strategies to help manage the black bears in a responsible and humane way.

What about the bears that have already proven that they will break into buildings in search of food? This is a state of California DF&W responsibility, and why it is so important to proceed with a tagging program. We need to be able to identify troublesome individual animal(s)…most bears do not fall into this category. So far only a few bears are crashing through doors and windows to access human food supplies. Other strategies may have to be used to address the extreme behaviors.

Thank you for participating with us in this testing of the proposed new garbage service. The Architectural Control Committee, and Architectural Control Department