Get Mammoth News and Ski Updates by E-mail

Enter your e-mail address to be notified when we post the latest Mammoth breaking news and skiing articles.

Your E-mail Address:

subscribe
unsubscribe

Mammoth Is Interesting

Steve Searles, Mammoth's iconoclastic "Bear Man," turned in his police department badge last Thursday. "And I've been crying ever since," said the erstwhile MLPD wildlife specialist.

A press release from the Town of Mammoth Lakes reported that, due to the highly successful "Special Bear Response Program" implemented by Searles, the number of wildlife-related police calls has been drastically reduced, eliminating the need for Searles' position on the force.

But there's more to the story than that. Searles' off-duty crime fighting efforts got him in trouble with the police department, and his production of anti-drug bumper stickers may have cost him his job.

---

"Bearing Down with Steve Searles", from the January 2005 edition of Mammoth Monthly | "Bumper Sticker Brouhaha" | "When Coyotes Were Kings," from the May/June edition of Mammoth Monthly.

---

The three bumper stickers, featuring an older Mammoth Mountain Ski Area logo, read "Mammoth, not Mammeth," "Mammoth Locals Against Crime," and "Mammoth Locales Contra Crimen." All three resemble another, far less controversial bumper sticker produced by Searles, also featuring the ski area logo, that says "Mammoth: Don't Feed Our Bears."

In an interview last Monday, Searles claimed that his job was on the line because of his personal campaign to reduce methamphetamine abuse and related crime in Mammoth. Police Chief Randy Schienle denied Searles' claim. Although department and town officials did not sanction Searles' civilian crusade, Schienle said the wildlife specialist's position was not threatened.

Nevertheless, Searles' job was terminated three days later. "Steve was offered a contract that covered his employment as a wildlife specialist only, and he wanted to expand his responsibilities," wrote Schienle in an email.

Wildlife-related police calls will now be handled by other members of the force. "As a result of Steve's commitment and dedication to the program, all MLPD officers have been trained to respond to bear related incidents and are able to handle the level of calls that the Town is currently experiencing. The public can be assured that we are still able to provide the best level of service for bear related incidences in Mammoth Lakes," Schienle said in the press release.

Searles, 48, garnered local and national attention over the last decade for his work in teaching the human population of Mammoth to better coexist with its resident black bears. That work, along with his development of non-lethal wildlife management techniques, earned Searles his police department uniform in 2004.

Searles said he will continue to fight drug abuse and crime through the circulation of the three new bumper stickers, minus the ski area logo.