Data from: Behavioral responses of black bears to human presence and infrastructure in Yosemite National Park

A 3‐month park closure at the start of the COVID‐19 pandemic in 2020 provided a rare opportunity to investigate bear responses to infrastructure with and without human presence. Using global positioning system (GPS) collar data from 30 black bears (2014–2022), we evaluated behavioral responses across multiple scales, including home range size, habitat selection, behavioral state, and diel activity, during periods of normal visitation and clo- sure.

Under normal visitation, development strongly influ- enced all bear behaviors and was associated with larger home ranges, higher movement probabilities, and more nocturnal activity. During the closure, bears exhibited shifts in their fine‐scale behaviors while broad‐scale space use remained unchanged. Bears increased selection for development within their home ranges, became more diurnal, and moved more, with the strongest behavioral shifts occurring in the most developed areas.

Our findings indicate that bears maintain use of resource‐rich areas near development while modifying their fine‐scale behaviors to avoid direct human encounters. By assessing how human presence and infrastructure shape bear behavior at multiple scales, this study provides guidance for managing human activities and bear behavior to support human–bear coexistence.