Climate change isn’t just altering how people experience Lake Tahoe, it’s also impacting animals. And perhaps the most prominent victim are the kings of the forest: bears. 

Part of the problem is there is not a top-down, unified approach for how to keep black bears out of our garbage and trash. Our leftovers and waste lead to human-bear interactions — and that’s ultimately bad news for bears.

Bears in Tahoe are also hibernating less — if at all. And it’s not just the black bears feeling the impact of climate change — polar bears, grizzlies and other bears around the world are at risk.