Bears in Sonoma County, Presented by John Roney
Our speaker for February 13, 2024 was John Roney, Manager of Sugarloaf Ridge State Park and a founder of the North Bay Bear Collaborative. John is a graduate of Santa Clara University and received an MBA from U.C. Irvine. He’s also a veteran of the U.S. Army and Army Reserve, retiring as a Colonel. He’s been the Manager of Sugarloaf Ridge since 2012. Sugarloaf Ridge is now operated by the Sonoma Ecology Center. The Park is home to an incredible number of plants and animals and is the headwaters to the Sonoma and Santa Rosa Creeks. 75% of the Park was burned in the 2017 fires and another significant portion burned again in 2020. John’s topic was “Bears in Sonoma County.”
The North Bay Bear Collaborative (“NBBC”) is a working group of agencies, non-profit conservation groups, landowners, and individuals who seek to mitigate challenges arising from the North Bay’s increasing black bear population. Historically, grizzly bears were the area’s main bear population. By 1900, grizzly bears had died out in California. The smaller, less aggressive black bear species started to take root in California with the demise of grizzly bears. The North Bay now has a significant, and growing, populations of black bears. Black bears are generally reclusive, afraid of humans, and are rarely seen. The NBBC works through research, community outreach, and infrastructure to keep human and bear populations safe and resilient. Research projects include taken samples of bear scat and DNA and analysing the data to track bear population movement and health. The NBBC also works to educate homeowners living in the higher regions of the area who might encounter bears. John gave us a brief education on dealing with bears. Bears have poor eyesight but an amazing sense of smell (roughly 500x stronger than dogs!). They are extremely smart and have great memories.
If you see a bear don’t panic; if possible, sneak away.
If the bear is acting aggressively, make noise, bang pots and pans (a foghorn would be a nice tool!), and throw things.
John also noted that the NBBC is looking for volunteers and financial support to carry out its mission. Thank you, John, for the fascinating discussion of bears right here in Sonoma County.
Click HERE to view a limited time recording of John Roney's bear presentation.
