Black bear cub killed during prescribed fire in Shenandoah National Park

Black bear cub killed during prescribed fire in Shenandoah National Park

Friday, April 12, 2013

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The 500-acre Jarman Gap prescribed burn in Shenandoah National Park was successfully completed on Wednesday and Thursday, April 10-11. Assistant Fire Management Officer John Fry reported that "prescribed fire objectives were achieved." Fry added that local residents and visitors will continue to see smoke from within the burn area over the next several days.

Firefighters successfully contained three spot fires that occurred outside of the planned burn area, but within the park's boundary. They were assisted by water drops from a helicopter staged at Shenandoah Valley Airport by the National Park Service and other agencies during peak fire season. Crews will work today to clear a small portion of the A.T. and Turk Branch Trail, both temporarily closed due to the spot fires.

During the burn, firefighters discovered two black bear cubs who had been injured in the fire. Both were treated by staff at the Wildlife Center of Virginia (WCV), but one succumbed to injuries. The second cub remains in their care and is expected to survive. Once released from the WCV, park staff will work with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries to place the cub with a wild nursing female bear. Park Superintendent Jim Northup said, "We deeply regret the injuries to these two bears, but overall we are very pleased with the outcome of this burn."

The Jarman Gap prescribed burn goals were to reduce hazardous fuels and the threat of a major wildfire. The fire will also help to promote oak and pine regeneration, additional animal food sources, and increased plant diversity. The forest of chestnut oak and three types of pine - Virginia, pitch, and table mountain - provides valuable habitat for a variety of wildlife.

The prescribed burn was a multi-agency effort with firefighters and other resources from across the region. Local support came from Dooms and Wilson Fire Departments.


Jeff
Hiking in the Smokies

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Bear

Bear

Friday, October 14, 2011

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Matt Brass just published another video this week, one which he calls "Bear". he claims on his Vimeo site that this is the second in a series of clips from a year long documentation project of the Smokies:

Bear from Matt Brass on Vimeo.

Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

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Deadly summer in Yellowstone & Grand Tetons

Deadly summer in Yellowstone & Grand Tetons

Friday, July 30, 2010

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I don't know if anyone has noticed, but it's been a very deadly summer in Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National Parks this year - and it's not even August yet.

Check out these headlines so far:

7/28 A mother bear and her three sow cubs went on a rampage just before dawn on Wednesday morning and killed one man and injured two others in a campground just outside of Yellowstone. Terrified campers sought shelter in their cars. Here's an interview with one of the victims on ABC News via Youtube.

7/27 A woman drowned after slipping into the Firehole River near Old Faithful.

7/21 One climber was killed and 16 others received moderate to severe injuries after a series of lightning strikes on the 13,770-foot Grand Teton. You can read more about the complex rescue operation by clicking here.

7/20 A University of Michigan student died after falling 80 feet after summiting the 12,804-foot Middle Teton

7/19 A 49-year-old woman from Utah was struck and flipped in the air by a bison in a thermal area near Old Faithful. Apparently the bison was provoked. Click here for the video of this incident that was shot by the victim.

7/14 A 65-year old man from Iowa died after losing his footing while fishing in the Yellowstone River.

6/17 A grizzly bear killed a veteran botanist in an attack just outside of Yellowstone.

6/1 A single lightning bolt injured 9 visitors on the boardwalk or on walkways around Old Faithful Geyser.

5/25 Two climbers died after the collapse of an ice column during an ice climb on a waterfall below the rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

Humans weren't the only victims this year. Several bears were killed as well. In two separate incidents in June, a female adult black bear and a young grizzly bear were both killed by hit and run cars.

To add insult to injury, two separate accidents in two days claimed the lives of two bears during capture attempts by park biologist. One was a young grizzly and the other a young black bear.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

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Do Air Horns make for good bear deterrents?

Do Air Horns make for good bear deterrents?

Saturday, March 21, 2009

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** For the most up-to-date information on this topic, please click here.


About a week ago I was reading some information with regards to the pros and cons of hiking alone in the wilderness. One person participating in the discussion mentioned that he carries an air horn in case he ever runs into a bear on the trail.

I found this admission to be quite interesting because I've often wondered myself whether such a device would work or not. My thoughts were that the high-decibel noise coming from an air horn might be more effective than bear spray because:

1) You don't have to worry about the direction of the wind

2) You don't have to wait for the bear to get close enough before sounding the horn

3) Bears have much better hearing than humans, thus the noise would bother them even more than humans

4) When a problem bear is captured and then released, biologists/rangers always use lots of noise to scare the bear so that it stays away from humans in the future

Never hearing anyone else make a similar suggestion, I just assumed that it probably wasn’t a good idea. However, upon reading that posting in the forum, I proceeded to do a little research on the internet. I immediately found one person who claims to have successfully used an air horn to scare a bear away. This was from a personal website, so I wasn’t about to put my life on the line based on one website claim.

Digging a little bit deeper, I found an article on the Columbia Cascades National Park website which stated:

“Air horns are unproven in their effectiveness. High-pitched noises can arouse curiosity or irritate a bear.”

However, the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife did recommend using air horns while hiking to scare aggressive bears away. Furthermore, according to an article in the Alaska Star, wildlife managers in Banff, Canada and Eugene, OR also use air horns to scare urban or problem bears away.

I found a few other examples of wildlife mangers suggesting that air horns are an effective deterrent to aggressive bears as well.

Just out of curiosity, do any of you know of anyone that has successfully used an air horn during a bear encounter anywhere? Have you ever heard a so called bear expert recommend that hikers should use air horns as a deterrent?





Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, and more.

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Smoky Mountain News Briefs

Smoky Mountain News Briefs

Monday, December 29, 2008

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I received my copy of the winter issue of "Smokies Guide" the other day. There are a couple of news items and upcoming events I thought that you might be interested in.

Bear Tips Park Dumpsters

As many of you already know, this has been a highly active year for aggressive bears in the Smoky Mountains. Several campsites and shelters were closed for several weeks at a time during the summer and fall. Several hiking trails had aggressive bear activity warnings posted on them as well. At one point, bears dared to enter public restrooms in popular picnic areas.

One bear even learned how to tip over and break into “bear-proof” dumpsters at one of the picnic areas on the Tennessee side of the park! Park Service staff were forced to employ chains and posts to secure the dumpsters in order to thwart the bears. In the end, however, the Park Service had to live-trap and relocate five bears to a different area of the park.

Biologists can't explain the unusual bear behavior since there appeared to be plenty of natural food available during most of the year.

Emergency Stabilization at Elkmont

National Park crews completed emergency stabilization of 18 historic summer cabins and the Appalachian Clubhouse in the Elkmont area this past fall. The park hopes to fully restore all 19 structures so they can be viewed by the public. At this time there is no indication when this will be completed.

Park Adds New Vegetation Crew

The vegetation management team in the Smokies was rewarded with special funding to hire an additional team to fight invasive plants. The crew will focus efforts on the North Carolina side of the park. They will be in charge of helping to eradicate non-native plants like kudzu, English ivy, Oriental bittersweet and privet over the next three years. They will also be helping to save the eastern hemlocks on the NC side as well.

Wilderness Wildlife Week

Wilderness Wildlife Week will be held from January 10-17 in Pigeon Forge and in the Great Smoky Mountains. The free event includes a variety of hikes, field trips, workshops and demonstrations related to the natural and cultural heritage of the Smoky Mountains. For more information, visit http://www.mypigeonforge.com/ or call 865-429-7350.

The Photographs of George Masa

Mapping the Mountains: The Photographs of George Masa. This is an exhibit examining the photography of George Masa at the Asheville Art Museum from February 6 - June 7. Masa was known as "the Ansel Adams of the East". Many of his photographs were used to promote the idea of preserving the Smokies as a national park. For more information, visit http://www.ashevilleart.org/ or call 828-253-3227.

Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, and more.

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Park Visitors Allow Bear to Break into Car

Park Visitors Allow Bear to Break into Car

Friday, July 18, 2008

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Below is a Youtube video showing a black bear breaking into a car at the Clingmans Dome parking lot in the Smoky Mountains. The amazing thing about this video is that there are a couple dozen people that stood around and watched the bear break the window of the car, jump in, and then take the owner’s food.

In my view, these people were totally irresponsible. Why didn’t they chase the bear off and call the Park Service? Not only was this car damaged, but that bear probably caused more trouble for other cars, campers or, possibly even acted aggressively towards some hikers. It would not surprise me if that bear had to be destroyed because it was, or became, a problem bear.

No doubt the car owner made a huge mistake by keeping food in a car with its windows partially open. However, those people that stood around and watched the bear taught it not to fear humans. There in lies the problem.




Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

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