Every dog has its day – and, it turns out, so does every bear. Highlands and Cashiers celebrate their shaggiest residents with the Mountain Black Bear Festival, June 10th and 11th.
Now that spring is here, black bears are on the move looking for food.
After eating very little over the winter, you can bet they are very hungry. That’s worrisome to people who have had less than pleasant experiences with black bears in the past. Hungry bears sometimes find their way to our birdfeeders and garbage cans, and once habituated to human food sources, they can become a real nuisance. They may cause property damage or even become a threat to human safety.
While basically shy, bears will be bears, so the responsibility to manage conflicts and to learn how to live in harmony rests with us humans.
In response to increasing conflicts between people and bears, the Jackson-Macon Conservation Alliance (J-MCA) has started a Bear Smart Initiative based on similar programs in other parts of North America. J-MCA’s Bear Smart Committee is a collaboration of non-profit groups and community members whose mission is to “reduce conflicts between bears and humans and to promote their safe coexistence by fostering appreciation for bears, addressing the root causes of bear-related problems, and teaching principles for living safely with bears.”
They will host a Mountain Black Bear Festival in June at the Highlands Civic Center. Opening the event on Friday June 10th, will be a slide show at 7:00 p.m. by renowned photographer Bill Lea, co-founder of the American Bear Association.
On Saturday June 11th, there will be exhibits, crafters, vendors, and live music between 11:00 a.m.. and 4:00 p.m. Starting at 2:00, there’ll be a program by Joel and Kathy Zachary, authors of “Bears We’ve Met.”
The Bear Smart Committee is working with town and county administrators and law enforcement as well as state wildlife officials. The group has already given programs to several community groups. For information, publications or programs visit the J-MCA website at www.j-mca.org, or contact Debbie Lassiter at (828) 526-0890, ext. 320.
