"Bubonic Plague In Chipmunks Forces Closure Of Top Lake Tahoe Sites"

"Disease can be spread by fleas that move between animals and humans but it is preventable and treatable"

"Surrounded by fires, parched by drought, and shut down by the pandemic – residents of California’s scenic South Lake Tahoe thought they’d endured everything.

That was until this week, when the US Forest Service announced it was closing several popular sites after discovering bubonic plague in the chipmunk population.

The federal agency announced this week that “based on positive plague tests” in the rodent population around hiking areas, it would close the well-trafficked Taylor Creek Visitor Center and nearby Kiva Beach through Friday.

The closure includes some of the region’s most spectacular hiking spots, which meander through forested glades speckled with wildflowers and along a creek that leads to Lake Tahoe’s shore."

Erin McCormick reports for the Guardian August 3, 2021.

Source: Guardian, 08/04/2021