A.T. and all intersecting trails CLOSED @ Stokes State Forest, NJ

[Jtd724]

NJ Department of Fish & Wildlife are doing some operation there and closed the A.T. and all intersecting trails. That's all I got for now and that's all I can find so far.

[V Eight]

Maybe
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...d-on-the-Loose

has something to do with it

[Jtd724]

Bingo!!! hey ya know what, ya never know. Maybe they did find a bigfoot and are keepin it hush hush.

[Jtd724]

BRANCHVILLE, N.J. — Two juveniles sustained minor injuries after a black bear attacked their campsite in northwestern New Jersey Wednesday.
The attack occurred in Stokes State Forest in Sussex County.
State Police say a black bear entered an area being used by campers from Montague-based Trail Blazers Camp.
Troopers say the bear grabbed one juvenile out of a tent, causing a minor foot injury. It then swiped at another, causing a shoulder injury.
The bear left, but soon returned and was rummaging through the campsite when state fish and game officials arrived and shot the bear in the neck.
The injured campers are described as a 12-year-old from Jersey City and an 11-year-old from Brooklyn, N.Y.
—Copyright 2011 Associated Press

[jbwood5]

That bear with a bullet in the neck is probably swiping at any human in sight. He/She is definitely pissed off. That must be why the trail is closed.
Glad the kids are going to be OK. They will have quite some stories to tell at the next Scout outing.

[STEVEM]

Here's the story in our local newspaper:

Appalachian Trail in Stokes State Forest closed as state officials search for bear that attacked two boys

Related Articles: Two boys injured in bear attack at Stokes State Forest Herald Staff Report The Appalachian Trail through Stokes State Forest and all connecting trails were closed Wednesday as state game officials tried to track down a bear that attacked two boys who were camping near the trail. The bear ran off after it was shot in the neck by a state Division of Fish and Game Wildlife officer following the 5 a.m. attack. The two boys, one age 11 from Brooklyn, N.Y., and one age 12 from Jersey City, were part of a group of nine juveniles and two counselors who were camping in the Gren Anderson section of the forest, state officials said. Vin Meeks of the Montague-based youth organization Trail Blazers told investigating officers that a black bear entered the campsite about 5 a.m. Wednesday while the campers were sleeping. The bear first went to a tent and grabbed a child’s foot in an attempt to pull him out of the tent. This effort proved unsuccessful, and the boy sustained a minor injury to his left foot. The bear then went to a second tent and collapsed it. After the tent collapsed, the bear swiped at the second boy, causing a minor injury to the boy’s right shoulder. The pair of incidents lasted about 15 minutes, police said. The boys sustained superficial wounds, police said. When Officer Joe Burke from the state Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife arrived, the bear was still at the campsite and didn’t seem to be affected by his presence. Burke shot the bear in the neck. The bear left the scene but returned again and continued “tearing through the camp.” Before officers arrived, Meeks gathered all the children and took them into a half-enclosed cabin. The campers made as much noise as they could in an attempt to scare the bear away. Lawrence Hanja, spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection Division of Fish and Wildlife, said the DEP Bear Response Team, Division of Fish and Wildlife, State Park Police, State Police, officials from the DEP Division of Parks and Forestry, are involved in the search for the bear, which he said is a yearling. A bloodhound is also assisting. “The bear was probably looking for food,” he said. Created: 8/3/2011 | Updated: 8/3/2011

[Blissful]

Wonder what kind of good food they had in there...

[WingedMonkey]

Glad they only had minor injuries, will give them stories to tell for a long time.

I can see the Lifetime TV movie: Guess Who's Coming To Dinner, Hoods in the Woods meet Baby Bear without Goldilocks.

[Pioneer Spirit]

Geez..did the rangers shoot with a pellet gun?

[STEVEM]

Geez..did the rangers shoot with a pellet gun?

I'm surprised they were able to find a bullet.

[Pioneer Spirit]

Several years ago when I had one of my auto-deer experiences. The deputy was following the deer (with broken leg) through an empty field. He must have shot at it five or six times.

Another time a Deputy used his shotgun and I scrambled to get out of the way of any stray pellets when he fired into the deer and pavement at an angle to me.

I wonder about those guys sometimes.

[STEVEM]

These kids just won the NJ Lottery. This will cost NJ millions of dollars once the lawyers get their teeth into it. Imagine the trauma these kids suffered watching Winnie The Pooh take a round through the neck.

[fw2008]

I don't think they could sue the state. It would have to be the organizers of the trip. That is, unless state officials failed to distribute the usual "beware of bears" info to them.
I wasn't surprised to learn that these kids are from the city. What do they know about bears? But the adults should have advised them.
It is a shame that a bear has to lose its life for doing something it does naturally; foray for food.

I am camping at Mahlon Reservation in Oak Ridge (near Sparta) NJ next Friday for a 50K trail race I am running on Sat 13. I have all the bear info/advice that I need; it was mailed to me with my camping permit.
I am only hoping that the guys at the next tent site aren't a bunch of city slickers who see bears only in the zoo.

On the AT closing; I wonder what happens to a thru-hiker who is passing through. Are the rangers going to stop him from entering the closed area, even if it means he has to return to the last shelter he passed?

FW

[WingedMonkey]

From Trail Blazers web site:

Appalachian Trail Expedition: (7 day)
In the first two days of your adventure you will undertake a series of exciting and informative workshops including: shelter construction, trail cooking, how to deal with bears, navigation and Leave No Trace principals.

[Jack Tarlin]

Curious story, have yet to see anything about how well they were supervised, were adult leaders nearby, etc., did they box or hang their food. People that are jumping to conclusions about lawsuits, etc, might want to hold off til more fact are in. In all likelihood, this situation was entirely avoidable.

[bobqzzi]

I wasn't surprised to learn that these kids are from the city. What do they know about bears? But the adults should have advised them.
It is a shame that a bear has to lose its life for doing something it does naturally; foray for food.


FW

We have no idea if they had food in their tent. And no, it is not a shame that a bear that attacked two children in a tent has to lose it's life.

[Bags4266]

I doubt the bear attacked, the bear was doing what it would normally do, search for food. They don't search for people, they were collateral damage to a unfortunate careless situation. And as far as the food goes (for what its worth) channel 2 news at 5pm today mentioned that they had food in there tent.

[Jack Tarlin]

As mentioned above: "In all likelihood this situation was entirely avoidable."

[Jtd724]

Yeah, it is a shame that the bear had to die for peoples careless errors.

[Jtd724]

EDIT: if it turns out they did have food in or near the tent.