Lauriep
08-23-2013, 08:41
ATC has been asked by the U.S. Forest Service to distribute the following information.
UNICOI, TENN August 22, 2013 ... U.S. Forest Service officials at the Cherokee National Forest announced that national forest lands within the corridor between the area known as Oliver Hollow north to Wilbur Dam are temporaily closed to public entry except for through hikers on the Appalachian Trail. The closure is being implemented because of black bear activity in the area.
National forest lands within the corridor are temporarily closed to public entry by land and water access. The Watauga Lake shelter on the Appalachian Trail is closed to camping but the trail is open to through hikers.
Oliver Hollow is located on Watauga Lake in Carter County on Oliver Hollow Rd off Highway 321 near Hampton, TN. Wilbur Dam (TVA) is located on the Watauga River off Wilbur Dam Rd and Bishop Hollow Rd in Carter County near Elizabethton, TN. The corridor is within the Cherokee National Forests Watauga Ranger District.
Oliver Hollow is a popular dispersed camping and day use area on the western end of Watauga Lake. Bears have recently been frequenting the corridor and Oliver Hollow. The U.S. Forest Service is working with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency to address the concern.
Natural Resources Management Team Leader for the Watauga Ranger District, Alice Cohen said, Bears are opportunists and become habituated to campsites and picnic areas where food has been improperly discarded or stored and is easily available. Though naturally shy of people, they learn to associate people with food. Bears then learn to frequent the same areas where they may encounter humans. This is when concerns arise.
Forest Service officials say that in all outdoor recreation settings, you should always store your food and trash so it does not attract bears and other animals. Food should be properly stored in a vehicle, or hung from a bear pole or tree when in the back country. Trash should be placed in bear-resistant trash cans where available or packed out when you leave. Do not discard watermelons or any other food scraps in picnic areas, shooting ranges or any other recreation site. Doing so can lead to temporary closure of the site if safety becomes a concern due to bear activity. Your cooperation with this and similar temporary closures may help break the cycle of bears returning to the same sites in search of human food, protecting you and the bears.
For more information about safety around bears visit the website, Safety in Bear Country link at: http://fs.usda.gov/cherokee, or Outdoor Safety in the South link at: http://fs.usda.gov/r8. For local recreation information call the Watauga Ranger Station at (423) 735-1500.
Black Bear Country - Safety Checklist
Avoid camping and hiking alone in the backcountry.
Make noise to avoid surprising a bear.
Never approach a bear or other wild animal.
Do not hike in the dark.
Carry EPA registered bear pepper spray.
Keep a clean camp site by properly disposing of food scraps and garbage. For more information, visit the Leave No Trace website: http://lnt.org/
Do not leave food or garbage inside fire rings, grills or around your site.
Never leave food or coolers unattended, even in developed picnic areas.
If bear-proof containers are not available, store food and garbage inside a hard-top vehicle or trailer and take the trash with you when you depart.
Never store food inside of a tent.
Wipe tabletops clean before vacating a camp or picnic site.
If a bear is observed nearby, pack up your food and trash immediately and vacate the area as soon as possible.
If necessary, attempt to scare the animal away with loud shouts, by banging pans together, or throwing rocks and sticks at it.
If a bear approaches, move away slowly; do not run. Get into a vehicle or a secure building.
Never run away from a bearback away slowly and make lots of noise.
If you are attacked by a black bear, try to fight back using any object available. Act aggressively and intimidate the bear by yelling and waving your arms. Playing dead is not appropriate with black bears.
I should be able to post a map, the closure order, and the press release in Word format a little later (for some reason--hasn't happened before--I'm having trouble opening the attachments feature from my Mac at home).
Laurie P.
ATC
UNICOI, TENN August 22, 2013 ... U.S. Forest Service officials at the Cherokee National Forest announced that national forest lands within the corridor between the area known as Oliver Hollow north to Wilbur Dam are temporaily closed to public entry except for through hikers on the Appalachian Trail. The closure is being implemented because of black bear activity in the area.
National forest lands within the corridor are temporarily closed to public entry by land and water access. The Watauga Lake shelter on the Appalachian Trail is closed to camping but the trail is open to through hikers.
Oliver Hollow is located on Watauga Lake in Carter County on Oliver Hollow Rd off Highway 321 near Hampton, TN. Wilbur Dam (TVA) is located on the Watauga River off Wilbur Dam Rd and Bishop Hollow Rd in Carter County near Elizabethton, TN. The corridor is within the Cherokee National Forests Watauga Ranger District.
Oliver Hollow is a popular dispersed camping and day use area on the western end of Watauga Lake. Bears have recently been frequenting the corridor and Oliver Hollow. The U.S. Forest Service is working with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency to address the concern.
Natural Resources Management Team Leader for the Watauga Ranger District, Alice Cohen said, Bears are opportunists and become habituated to campsites and picnic areas where food has been improperly discarded or stored and is easily available. Though naturally shy of people, they learn to associate people with food. Bears then learn to frequent the same areas where they may encounter humans. This is when concerns arise.
Forest Service officials say that in all outdoor recreation settings, you should always store your food and trash so it does not attract bears and other animals. Food should be properly stored in a vehicle, or hung from a bear pole or tree when in the back country. Trash should be placed in bear-resistant trash cans where available or packed out when you leave. Do not discard watermelons or any other food scraps in picnic areas, shooting ranges or any other recreation site. Doing so can lead to temporary closure of the site if safety becomes a concern due to bear activity. Your cooperation with this and similar temporary closures may help break the cycle of bears returning to the same sites in search of human food, protecting you and the bears.
For more information about safety around bears visit the website, Safety in Bear Country link at: http://fs.usda.gov/cherokee, or Outdoor Safety in the South link at: http://fs.usda.gov/r8. For local recreation information call the Watauga Ranger Station at (423) 735-1500.
Black Bear Country - Safety Checklist
Avoid camping and hiking alone in the backcountry.
Make noise to avoid surprising a bear.
Never approach a bear or other wild animal.
Do not hike in the dark.
Carry EPA registered bear pepper spray.
Keep a clean camp site by properly disposing of food scraps and garbage. For more information, visit the Leave No Trace website: http://lnt.org/
Do not leave food or garbage inside fire rings, grills or around your site.
Never leave food or coolers unattended, even in developed picnic areas.
If bear-proof containers are not available, store food and garbage inside a hard-top vehicle or trailer and take the trash with you when you depart.
Never store food inside of a tent.
Wipe tabletops clean before vacating a camp or picnic site.
If a bear is observed nearby, pack up your food and trash immediately and vacate the area as soon as possible.
If necessary, attempt to scare the animal away with loud shouts, by banging pans together, or throwing rocks and sticks at it.
If a bear approaches, move away slowly; do not run. Get into a vehicle or a secure building.
Never run away from a bearback away slowly and make lots of noise.
If you are attacked by a black bear, try to fight back using any object available. Act aggressively and intimidate the bear by yelling and waving your arms. Playing dead is not appropriate with black bears.
I should be able to post a map, the closure order, and the press release in Word format a little later (for some reason--hasn't happened before--I'm having trouble opening the attachments feature from my Mac at home).
Laurie P.
ATC