SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2024

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Buyers & SellersOpen Sunday 1-3pm1561 Gaywood Drive, AltadenaOffered at $3,850,000In Escrow501 Woodland Drive, Sierra MadreOffered at $1,098,000Jan Greteman 626.975.4033lic #01943630Judy Webb-Martin 626.688.2273lic #00541631Katie Orth 626.688.0418lic #00942500
VOLUME 18 NO. 23VOLUME 18 NO. 23

LA COUNTY SUPERVISORS SUPPORT SIERRA MADRE 
EFFORTS TO MANAGE LIVING WITH WILDLIFE

Last week, Sierra Madre was in the spotlight due to the community 
and elected officials efforts concerning living with wildlife. 
Over the years, with growing wildlife populations, Sierra Madre 
appears to have become a mecca for ‘urbanized’ wildlife – most 
notably bears, but also Mountain Lions, Bobcats, and Coyotes, all 
predators. As a result, the community and local elected officials 
have taken their concerns to the LA County Board of Supervisors, 
the California Department of Fish and Wildlife as well as the 
federal US Fish and Wildlife Service requesting assistance because 
of the increased presence of wildlife in town.

According to City Manager Jose Reynoso, one of the primary issues 
is the fact that the area covered by these agencies is not manageable. 
“They cover the area from Santa Barbara to San Diego County”, 
noting that the new actions of the Board of Supervisors will help 
create smaller areas and assign more staff. 

In a press release issued on Tuesday, The Los Angeles County Board 
of Supervisors “….unanimously approved a motion introduced 
by Supervisor Kathryn Barger today that will ask the California 
Department of Fish and Wildlife for increased state resources to 
educate and safeguard Sierra Madre and surrounding foothill 
communities from black bear and other wildlife encounters.”

“Bears and wildlife were here well before us. My motion aims to 
educate the public so we can peacefully coexist,” said Supervisor 
Kathryn Barger. “There are simple things we can do to prevent 
these types of scary encounters, including securing garbage, using 
appropriate trash receptacles, and not leaving garage doors open. 
This motion is a proactive step to draw down more state resources so 
we have access to specialists who understand how to deal with these 
types of bear encounters. I realize the state budget is tight, but this 
is an investment in what I believe will have worthwhile public safety 
dividends.”

As a result of Barger's motion, the Board of Supervisors will 
send a five-signature letter to the California Department of Fish 
and Wildlife director to advocate for augmenting and enhancing 
staffing of human-wildlife conflict specialists who can respond to 
calls for service in a timely manner when encounters occur. 

The letter will also call for the state to provide ongoing proactive 
engagement with communities to offer education and awareness 
that is tailored to the unique needs of those living in Sierra Madre 
and other Los Angeles County communities impacted by wildlife 
encounters.

This action by the Board of Supervisors indicates that the efforts of 
the Sierra Madre community, the Sierra Madre City Council and 
the Sierra Madre City Manager Jose Reynoso, did not fall on deaf 
ears.

Reynoso noted that in addition to lobbying the state and federal 
agencies, the city has developed a Wildlife Management Plan and is 
currently working on a Wildlife Watch Program and will continue 
its efforts to manage the problem.

In the meantime, Reynoso encourages residents to be mindful of 
what attracts wildlife to come to town. “Residents need to use the 
‘bear proof cans’ provided by the city via Athens Management 
Services and adopt behavior that will not bring wildlife into our 
environment. This includes not leaving food for pets outdoors.” 
He is hopeful that more public awareness and the additional staff 
and support, if acquired, will help the problem.

Not all residents concerned with the increased wildlife presence 
share his optimism. Former Sierra Madre Mayor Glenn Lambdin 
dubbed the County Supervisors actions as, “…symbolism over 
substance”. He suggests that the additional staff will be focused 
on data collection rather than efforts to manage the existing 
population and slow down growth in the future. 

Lambdin has been very outspoken about what he and others 
believe needs to be done and has first hand knowledge of what 
‘urbanization’ of wildlife, especially bears, does. His canyon 
home has been invaded at least twice by bears in search of food, 
one coming into the kitchen while his wife was home. Last year, 
he articulated his vision of dealing with the problem in an article 
in this paper: https://www.mtnviewsnews.com/v17/htm/n16/index.
htm

And yet. while Reynoso and Lambdin have very different views on 
solutions to the problem, they agree that the current area resources 
from state and local agencies is insufficient. 

S.Henderson/MVNews


A student walking home from elementary school spotted this bear 
leisurely walking down the street. Photo by E. Booth.


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535 Auburn Ave., Sierra Madre$1,298,000OPEN SAT. & SUN. 1-4 PM
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listed for sale, this is not intended as a solicitation.
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CRE#01880650BEileen Benson
This bear walking down the street, detected the smell of honey. 
Unbeknownst to the homeowner, the 'birdfeeder' had become the 
home for a Queen bee and her crew. The bear proceeded to knock 
it down and eat the honeycomb inside! Photos by JWM











 

 

 



 

 

 


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