FYI for hikers in South Cumberland State Park Area

“August 15, 2009

Greetings,

Bears at South Cumberland? All the signs say yes!

MONTEAGLE -- August 15, 2009 The Friends of South Cumberland Board met today for our scheduled quarterly meeting. Park Manager John Christof advised the board that a local property owner's game feeding stand photographed a black bear not too far from the Collins Gulf entrance to the park. Ranger George Shinn advised that he and other rangers have seen bear scat, tracks and other signs in Collins Gulf, along the Connector Trail and in the vicinity of Hobbs Cabin within the past week. It appears that there might be three different animals.

Camping and cooking in bear country, and storing a food cache, requires different safety precautions than normal backpacking and camping. The most common close encounters between bears and people in the wilderness almost all relate to the presence of food.

The National Park Service has an excellent write up here related to bears and bear behavior in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

http://www.nps.gov/grsm/naturescience/black-bears.htm

If you see a bear at South Cumberland during your visit, please report the time and location to a Ranger.

Ranger George Shinn is presently talking with other Tennessee state parks who have bears and I expect South Cumberland will have some written guidelines and recommendations in the very near future.

September Activities Are Online

Planned activities at the Park for August are now online http://www.friendsofscsra.org/activities.htm#sept

Best wishes,

Ron Castle

Webmaster & Board Member



Friends of South Cumberland State Recreation Area, Inc.

South Cumberland State Park
11745 US 41
Monteagle, Tennessee 37356-7609 USA



Visitor Center & Park Headquarters 931 924-2980



Park Headquarters FAX 931 924-2956

Stone Door Ranger Station 931 692-3887

Savage Gulf Ranger Station 931 779-3532”

“Cool”

“I'm not surprised.”

“Thanks for the info !”

“Just got the same e-mail tonight.

And just to think all these years I thought it was a raccoon that carted off my blacklite cookset outside of Hobbs Cabin. Maybe we have a bear that likes leftover Jambalaya.

Guess we gotta start hanging our food there too.”

“I bet the raccoon and bear were working together :)”

“wow... they are ganging up on ya!!!”

“We've really had it way too easy around here. Bears will bring a whole new excitement to the area.”

“It is always a good idea to hang your food when in the backcountry, if for any other reason to keep mice and other rodents away from it.”

“Don't forget the damn raccoons, karo.”

“Please take your childish nasty name calling to another thread.

I camp in the South Cumberland area more than any other area and I have never put my food in a tree. I've always put it in the tent with me. Guess not anymore.”

“I got that email over the weekend and started looking at the calendar to see when I might be able to get back down there. Thats very exciting news.”

“Maybe since the South Cumberland area is relatively small compared to someplace like the GSMNP, the bears will still be shy around humans. I hope so.”

“People who live around the area will need to keep their property clean...which might be a difficult job for some.”

“I have an outline completed and am ready to start typing 22 of my bear experiences in GSMNP. Included in the experiences are being charged by a bear, having one apparently throwing nuts at me from high in a tree, hearing bears talking, etc!”

“I'd like a copy NS.”

“Same here.”

“Maybe you could just post it on the Bone Valley thread, LOL.”

“I live close to this area and have backpacked extensively in the area. I have never seen a bear or any bear signs, but always hang my food anyways because of the other critters.”

“having one apparently throwing nuts at me from high in a tree - ns

Now THAT sounds like a good read!”

“Wow! I had my first trip to the gulf on the 1st of this month. I can't think of anything I would have done different though.”

“Stovie - Especially when the bear came down and was eating the nuts that hit my tent!”