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Mammoth Is Interesting

With their natural food sources all but gone in the Eastern Sierra backcountry, bears are finding Mammoth a great solution. The bears' good fortune, however, is causing some problems around town.

Police Chief Randy Schienle reported to the Town Council on Wednesday, Sept. 5 that his officers are responding to more bear complaints than normal.

Moreover, the deputy regional manager for the California Department of Fish and Game, Bruce Kinney, said the bears are facing "the toughest summer we've had in years. Habitat conditions are really poor."

Bears, who are primarily vegetarian, are not native to the Eastern Sierra. Mammoth's bears are descended from Yosemite National Park's "problem" bears that were released here in the early 1970s.

Unlike the bears who enjoy the lush western slope of the Sierra Nevada, the bears in the east side's arid environment have had trouble from the moment they arrived .

In a hot summer following a weak snow season, such as this one, the bears are in particularly dire straits.

Councilmember Wendy Sugimura, a former backcountry ranger in Yosemite, suggested Mammoth call a bear summit that would involve representatives from a range of agencies, including Yosemite National Park, the U.S. Forest Service, the California Department of Fish & Game, the town police department and Mono County Sheriff's Department.

The Yosemite bears and Mammoth's bears are inextricably linked, she said.

"But in the National Park, they just have to deal with the National Park. Here, many agencies are involved."

She said she has been in touch with park rangers, and said they are enthusiastic about setting up a summit meeting.