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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 3b: Wildlife Habitat in Northeast ArcadiaDATE: November 17, 2009 TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: Bob Sanderson, Police Chief Pat Malloy, Director of Public Works Services SUBJECT: Wildlife Habitat in Northeast Arcadia Recommendation: Receive and File BACKGROUND DISCUSSION STAFF REPORT Police Department The foothill region of northern Arcadia and surrounding cities make up the urban /wildlife interface. Animal wildlife includes bears, mountain lions, coyotes, bobcats, deer, and gray squirrels among other species. These animals search for food and water sources and encroach into neighborhoods that result in close contact with the community. Since January 2006, the Police Department has responded to well over 200 calls involving bears and 11 calls regarding mountain lions. At the October 6, 2009, Arcadia City Council meeting, Councilmember Harbicht expressed concern regarding bears in the Highlands area and asked staff to contact neighboring agencies to see how the bear issue affected their jurisdictions and what measures could be taken to address the issue of bears interfacing in the communities. In the past several months, a 300 pound black bear had been spotted throughout neighborhoods in the north end of Arcadia. The bear had been eating from fruit trees, rummaging through trash cans, and damaging residential property. The bear had become increasingly acclimated to the human environment and had taken up residency in the backyard of a home in the 200 block of Hillgreen Place. A homeowner was even forced to flee her home out of fear of the bear entering the home and possibly being attacked. The Police Department believed this bear was the same bear that had been reported in numerous previous sightings, and officers had on prior occasions utilized hazing techniques to run the bear back up into the wilderness. These techniques included the use of pepper spray and bean bag rounds fired from a gun; however, these techniques were short -lived as the bear consistently returned to the unnatural food sources and lost the natural fear of humans. Staff contacted the State Department of Fish and Game and reported this ongoing problem. Requests were made for Fish and Game authorities to trap and relocate the bear into the wilderness. However, Fish and Game authorities would not relocate bears as they return to their known food source even when relocated as much as 180 miles from their source of food. Staff was advised that once bears become acclimated to the human environment and accustomed to unnatural food sources such as garbage, domestic pet food, and fruit trees, then they lose their natural fear of humans and can become a public safety threat. Staff was advised to destroy the bear in this situation and to call the Fish and Game warden to remove the carcass. Staff contacted State Senior Wildlife Biologist Kevin Brennen and requested a "Depredation Permit" that would authorize a homeowner to have the bear trapped, removed, or destroyed if necessary. Mr. Brennen advised staff that the State would not authorize a depredation permit for homeowners in the City of Arcadia as they do not have "bear- proof" garbage cans and have not harvested ornamental fruit trees. Only if these measures were taken, and the bear remained a problem, would a permit be issued. On October 8, 2009, the bear returned to a backyard in the 200 block of Hillgreen Place to nest and feed from the avocado and fruit trees. Officers responded, shot and killed the bear, and notified Fish and Game to respond and remove the carcass. The bear was an adult female weighing approximately 300 pounds. On October 9, 2009, a second black bear returned to a backyard in the 200 block of Hillgreen Place to nest. Officers responded, shot and killed the bear, and notified Fish and Game to respond to remove the bear. This bear was an adult male weighing approximately 250 pounds. Since January 1, 2006, the Police Department has destroyed two bears and one mountain lion that had killed several dogs in the foothills residential areas and had lunged at officers while protecting its prey. The situation in the 200 block of Hillgreen Place is not an isolated situation with bears. A similar situation occurred in the Whispering Pines area a few years ago wherein a bear actually attempted on several occasions to enter a residence. Only after the bear's third attempt to forcibly enter the residence, and after the resident captured the third attempt on video tape, did the State Biologist issue a depredation permit. The bear disappeared into the wilderness and the permit was not utilized. Had the bear been captured by a company hired by the resident, the bear would have been removed from the urban area and euthanized elsewhere. In the City of Monrovia, a steady increase in the amount of bear related incidents have occurred in the past several years. During the summer of 2009, Monrovia had an increase of 344 calls over the previous year (120 calls in 2008 and 464 calls in 2009). Monrovia recently experienced incidents of bears entering unsecured homes to obtain food and cause damage. In a couple of cases, the homeowners have confronted the bears inside their home. Fortunately, the bears did not act aggressively, but these situations create a high potential for danger. The Department of Fish and Game report 12 bear attacks statewide since 1980. The City of Sierra Madre utilizes similar hazing techniques to run bears and mountain lions back into the wilderness, but they have also had to euthanize a bear in the past year that was under the crawl space of a home. The Cities of Sierra Madre and Monrovia have received similar responses from the California Fish and Game authorities with respect to their unwillingness to trap, tranquilize, and relocate bears. The State of California currently estimates that there are conservatively 25,000 to 30,000 black bears in a habitat that stretches from the California /Oregon border down through Los Angeles County along the foothills that incorporate Pasadena, Sierra Madre, Arcadia, and Monrovia. Califomia has a bear harvesting season and the season closes when 1,700 tags are received from successful hunters or by December 27, 2009, whichever is sooner. As of November 1, 2009, 884 bears have been harvested in California. According to the Department of Fish and Game, habitat loss is the leading threat to wildlife populations in California, with over half of the suitable black bear habitat in California in public ownership of which an estimated 10% is managed as either a wilderness or park. Bears normally feed on food plants (Manzanita, oaks) which grow in forest openings. Large, woody areas provide den sites and potential food sources (colonial insects). The recent fires in the Angeles National Forest has destroyed large habitat areas for black bears leading the bears to search for new habitat areas and adapt if necessary to unnatural food sources. This raises the potential for black bears to migrate to the unburned foothill areas to find these food and nesting areas. The California Department of Fish and Game has a public education program entitled "Keep Me Wild" (www.keepmewild.orq) that provides safety tips and actions that residents can take to remove unnatural food sources that attract bears or other wildlife, emphasizing that these measures are the best protection for both wildlife and humans. A predominant recommendation is for residents within the wildlife interface to maintain bear -proof containers and to not store human or pet food outdoors. Keeping ornamental fruit trees harvested is also recommended by Fish and Game. A survey was conducted with the Cities of Sierra Madre, Monrovia, and Bradbury to find out how surrounding cities handle the problem of bears, in addition to police response. The Cities of Sierra Madre and Bradbury do not have any programs and only provide information to residents on how to deter bears. Monrovia was the only city that had an established program with approximately 100 residents participating. Through their waste hauler (Athens), residents are provided a bear resistant trash cart that is equipped with a locking lid. The resident is required to sign a contract obligating them to make 36 monthly payments in the amount of $4.59 in addition to their monthly service bill to pay for the special cart. In order to have the bins serviced, residents must set their trash bins out the morning of collection day and unlock them prior to the pick up. Based on research and discussions with the City's waste hauler (Waste Management), staff has prepared two options for consideration: OPTION 1 Continue using the existing trash carts and work collaboratively with Waste Management and launch an extensive public outreach campaign with useful information to deter bears from wandering into the neighborhoods. OPTION 2 Provide residents with bear resistant residential trash carts. This option would require residents to pay a nominal fee in addition to their regular monthly service fee (to unlock the cart at the time it is serviced). Staff will negotiate a rate per month with Waste Management that would include: 1. The out right purchase of the bear resistant trash cart (approximately $170) and an amortized cost of the cart over a predetermined time period; the cost will be dependent on the number of participants. 2. Bear Resistant Trash Cart Fee: this service will require the truck driver to unlock the trash cart prior to being serviced. Staff does not believe that it would be effective to leave the carts unlocked on the street as is the practice in Monrovia. The cost for this service will be determined with a service cost analysis provided by Waste Management. Once the cost of the bear resistant cart has been paid in full, the monthly fee would decrease to only include the service cost. It is important to note that in order to effectively deter bears, staff believes it may be necessary for the entire neighborhood to participate in the program. Currently, Waste Management does not provide this service in any surrounding communities. Therefore, a service cost analysis is required to establish an accurate and equitable rate for this special service. To implement this program, Waste Management requires a minimum order of 24 containers. FISCAL IMPACT There could be minor costs associated with a public outreach educational campaign depending on the amount of advertising materials and the manner in which public information would be disseminated. RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that the City Council receive and file, but also direct staff to proceed with an enhanced outreach campaign to deter bears from wandering into the neighborhoods but will take no formal action to implement a locking trash cart program at this time. Approved: Don Penman, City Manager