Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - 10

C Black Bears in the Back Yard
by Nancy Henderson

Creature
Feature

AS SECLUDED HABITATS DISAPPEAR, THE GENERALLY NON-AGGRESSIVE
BEARS ARE MOVING INTO MORE INTERACTION WITH HUMANS.

To keep bears at bay, clear dense brush and contain smelly discarded foodstuffs.

IN SOUTHEAST TENNESSEE, black
bears are venturing out of the
Appalachians and westward toward
populated cities and towns. In
Virginia, they now live in 92 of the
state's 95 counties. And in western
North Carolina, they are moving away
from their longtime, secluded habitats
and into suburban back yards.
Once rarely seen by humans, and
usually only in the Great Smoky
Mountains and Shenandoah National
Park, black bears are becoming more
prevalent in or near residential areas
across the Southeast.
NOT IN MY BACK YARD

To keep black bears from coming too close to
your house:
* Don't leave pet food outside.
* Clear away dense brush that could provide cover for a bear.
* Keep barbecue grills clean and
grease-free.
* Never throw meat, fish or other strongsmelling scraps on a compost pile.
* Set garbage out on pick-up day, not the
night before, and place it in a bear-resistant
trash bin.
10 | BlueRidgeCountry.com

"They're adapting to more populated areas, and they're finally reaching a population to where they're
expanding from the areas where they
were hidden for a long time," says
Larry Beane, an interpretive park
ranger at Little River Canyon Preserve
near Fort Payne, Ala., who grew up
near North Carolina's Pisgah National
Forest.
"The more [people] logged there
and the more they moved people in
there, and the more people passed
through, hiking, camping, running
their four-wheelers and motorcycles,
the more those bears said, 'Hey, I'm
gonna go find somewhere else,'" says
Beane of the bears' steady departure
from his old stomping grounds in
North Carolina.
Although the mammals are
becoming increasingly common at
Little River Canyon Preserve - picnickers have spotted them hovering
nearby, and one amateur photographer captured a mama bear and three
cubs crossing a field - Beane admits
he has never seen one there in his 20
years on the job. "The bears are still
pretty spooked around people," he
says. "Of course, a scared animal can
be a problem too, but they're more

interested in getting away most of the
time."
The estimated 25 or 30 black bears
that now roam the Little River preserve and surrounding neighborhoods
are part of a statewide study conducted by Auburn University to determine just how many there are, and
where. In November, researchers
began tagging the animals and outfitting some with GPS collars.
The main reason bears are venturing into the suburbs is simple, says
Beane: dinner. "The biggest thing is:
Don't leave food out for them," he
says. "They'll pass through if you
don't have anything attractive for
them."
In the spring, the bears emerge
from their dens, give birth and start
searching for something to eat - at the
same time more people are heading
outdoors. Unlike grizzlies, black bears
are generally not aggressive but can
turn confrontational if they feel threatened or cornered into defending their
babies. Beane advises campers to store
food in closed containers and hang
them high between two trees. He also
warns hikers and curious nature lovers
to use common sense.
"Don't turn your back to take a
selfie with a bear close behind you,
especially if it's looking at you," he
says. Keep your distance and don't
make eye contact with it, either, even
through a camera lens, because staring may be interpreted as a challenge.
While mystery and fear still surround many suburban bear sightings,
some people who live near the Little
River preserve hope the bears stay.
"They're proud that this area is a home
for an animal that, in many places, has
been hunted out," says Beane. "There
are a few [local residents] who are
hoping that bear sightings become as
regular as in the Great Smokies." .

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Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015

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