Press release from Friends of the Smokies:
WAYNESVILLE, NC – During the fall visitors enjoy hiking and camping along the Appalachian Trail (A.T.) in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP). On the trail wildlife can pose a threat to hikers but visitors can continue to keep themselves and wildlife safe by keeping their packs out of reach of black bears, thanks to a grant that Friends of the Smokies received from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC).
For the fifth year, the ATC has made wildlife health and backpacker safety a priority in GSMNP. ATC provided $5,000 from its specialty license plate funds to support bear management at campsites and shelters along the trail. The A.T. is a national park unit spanning from Georgia to Maine with more than 70 miles of trail in GSMNP.
The best thing for park visitors to do is to keep food and garbage away from bears to preserve their wild behavior. “Food storage is crucial to helping us best protect bears in the backcountry,” said GSMNP Wildlife Biologist Bill Stiver. “By repairing damaged cables quickly, we can ensure that backpackers have the opportunity to properly store food which helps us keep backcountry campsites safe and available for use.”
Each backcountry campsite and shelter in the Park has a cable and pulley system which allows backpackers to lift their food and packs out of the reach of black bears, providing a safe environment for hikers and animals. Using the grant funds from the ATC, the GSMNP staff promptly identifies bear management needs, including repairing cable systems which become damaged by the elements and normal use over time.
Friends of the Smokies and ATC have continued to work together over the years because of their shared interest in providing hikers and backpackers a safe place to experience the outdoors. The partnership and support extends beyond bear cables to the renovation of many backcountry shelters along the A.T. in the GSMNP as well as addressing trail maintenance and hiker safety.
“Our partnership aims to improve the visitor experience and protect the natural resources of two great national park units,” said Holly Demuth, North Carolina director of Friends of the Smokies. “We can and have achieved great things when we work together.”
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