Word from the Smokies: Smokies cities make strides toward ensuring bear, human safety with new trash bins
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home to an estimated 1,900 black bears — about two per square mile — with more than 14,500 of these iconic mammals roaming the four-state mountain region.
Wildlife officials offer guidance for wildlife encounters
With spring arriving and wildlife encounters set to increase as the weather gets warmer, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) has helpful guidance for what to do when encountering various wildlife.
Bear with bears
Dive into the natural history of black bears at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 6, at the Reuter Center at the University of North Carolina Asheville.
Wildlife Commission approves bear season expansion, deer season shift
During its Feb. 22 meeting, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission voted to adopt a slate of proposed rule changes for the coming year, including a pair of controversial measures that will shift the season dates for white-tailed deer and significantly expand the season length for black bear in the mountain region.
Bear boxes replacing cables at some A.T. shelters
Trekking through fresh snowfall on the Appalachian Trail, Carolina Mountain Club volunteers and U.S. Forest Service staff installed a new bear box at Little Laurel Shelter — part of a larger CMC initiative to replace traditional bear cables with boxes at each of the 10 A.T. shelters the club maintains.
Gorges campground closed after bear encounter
The campground at Gorges State Park in Transylvania County is closed through Nov. 16 after a bear attacked an RV last week.
Bear scratches Smokies visitor, causing road closure
Rich Mountain Road in the Cades Cove area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is closed to all traffic until further notice after a bear scratched a visitor over the weekend.
