Be Bear Smart!
The foothill community of Three Rivers, CA is the cherished home of humans and some very smart American Black Bears. Join us in creating a joyful, litter-free environment where bears and people thrive together.
Living With Bears
Explore educational material and guidance for residents, businesses, hosts, and visitors.
Our Bears
Meet the Three Rivers bears.
Get Involved
Join the team, donate to the cause, or report a sighting or incident!
Latest News
Explore stories about Three Rivers and its bears. Read tips on how to coexist peacefully. For more news, visit our News page.
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Press Release – Three Rivers Fights Adoption of Unpopular Garbage Ordinance
he Bear Smart Three Rivers team is raising significant concerns about Tulare County Solid Waste’s proposed Bear Management Area ordinance and the process used to advance it, citing process issues that community members say obscure the ordinance’s flaws, misrepresent key facts, and may conflict with state and county requirements.
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Bear Smart Team Exposes Board of Supervisors Meeting Misinformation
On 28 October 2025, the Tulare County Board of Supervisors held a contentious public hearing regarding a proposed garbage ordinance that would affect the community of Three Rivers. The Bear Smart Three Rivers team has provided an annotated transcript of the discussion that exposes the untruthful and misleading statements that informed the vote to introduce the ordinance.
Resources
Explore our curated selection of educational materials and deterrents.
It Takes a Team
Join us in creating a joyful, litter-free environment where bears and humans thrive together.
Upcoming Events
Board of Supervisors Meeting
Tuesday 18 November at 9am | Board of Supervisors Chambers, 2800 W. Burrel Ave, Visalia
Join community members to oppose the proposed garbage ordinance.
Community Meeting
November – Date TBD
Join us to learn practical ways to keep bears and people safe together.
Bear-Friendly Gardening Tips
Date TBD
Explore how to design your garden to protect wildlife and reduce bear encounters.
Neighborhood Cleanup Day
Date TBD
Help keep Three Rivers litter-free to save bears’ lives and help them become wild again.
Wildlife Conservation Talk
Date TBD
Engage with experts discussing responsible wildlife management in our region.
Three Rivers by the Numbers
17
Bears
As many as 17 bears, including 7 cubs, have been sighted in Three Rivers in 2025. Three of this year’s cubs are believed to be dead, and we have confirmed two injured adult bears.
<2000
Residents
The number of full-time residents in Three Rivers has been declining due to the increase in short term rentals.
1,300,000
Visitors
Three Rivers is the primary gateway for Sequoia National Park, which received 1.3 million visitors in 2024. About 75% of the human-bear incidents have involved visitor trash.
348
Incident Reports
This summer, there have been about 234 reports of garbage access, 39 reports of attempted access with adverse impact, 5 reports of structure entry, 2 reports of attempted structure entry, 1 report of livestock attacks, 3 reports of property damage.
Contact a Volunteer at Bear Smart Three Rivers
Do you have a question or an excellent idea? We’d love to hear from you. Have you seen a bear? Has a bear been feasting on your garbage? Has one killed your livestock or entered your home? Don’t “bear” it alone… let us know! We can help.