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Friends Of Smokies, Appalachian Trail Conservancy String More Bear Cables In The Smokies

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The Appalachian Trail Conservancy has donated $1,110 to help provide cables in the backcountry of Great Smoky Mountains National Park so backpackers can hang their food and gear out of the reach of bears. Photo by Billy Jones via Friends of the Smokies.

For the third year in a row the Friends of the Smokies and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy have teamed up to string bear cables in the backcountry of Great Smoky Mountains National Park so backpackers can keep food and gear away from bruins.

The Conservancy has provided $1,110 from its specialty license plate funds to help reduce black bear access to backpacker food along the Appalachian Trail.

“Both groups share an interest in safe backcountry experiences, keeping wildlife wild, and working with partners,” said Stephen Woody, treasurer for the Friends of the Smokies' board of directors. “Plus, with a backpacker on the A.T. plate and a black bear on the Smokies plate, it’s hard to think of a better project for us to work together on.”

Using the grant funds from the ATC, Great Smoky Mountains National Park staff and wildlife interns have repaired cables at the Mollies Ridge shelter and Cosby Knob shelter, which had become damaged by the elements and use over time. With proper and vigilant use by backpackers, the repaired storage system will continue to increase both visitor and bear safety by helping reduce the number of bears raiding shelter areas in the park.

According to Bill Stiver, a park wildlife biologist, “as backpackers continue to hang their food, the cables protect hikers and campers. Not to mention keeping the bears from learning to depend on human food.”

Friends of the Smokies and the ATC have also partnered to renovate many of the backcountry shelters along the A.T. in the Smokies and to support several other efforts to address trail maintenance and hiker safety.

Friends would like to thank both ATC and Friends’ license plate owners whose ownership helps support projects like these in GSMNP.

“It’s all about preserving and protecting two great national park units, visitor experience and their natural resources,” said Holly Demuth, North Carolina director of Friends of the Smokies. “We do best when we work together.”

Comments

I doubt you are some "majority", like you claim. Personally, the fee didn't bother me either way. 4.00 is not that expensive, and judging from the live site maps that show when campsites are reserved, people are still booking sites. It would cost me 50.00 to book a site in Yellowstone. 25.00 for the backcountry and 25.00 to enter the park. This 4.00 fee is nothing.

And, i'll disregard your still-stuck-on-the-civil-war snides.. It's 2013, not the 1860's. I've lived in 5 different parts of the country in my life, and never shot a single bullet during the American Civil War since that was many generations before I was born. Tennessee contains many people from all over. Just like many people who grew up in Tennessee move elsewhere too. It's part of modern day America to move around, and doesn't make me any less of a citizen than you. The Smokies are a Natonal Park. Not John Q's private reserve, like you wish it to be.

And I dont' consider southerners dumb. Yes there are dumb people all over the country, but the South is pretty interesting place. How do you get that out of any of my comments? Ore are you just using conjecture? I like the south and consider it one of the nicer parts of the country to live. Just because I don't mind paying a 4.00 fee? Please. Go trek around to other places where the are no national parks in your backyard and realize what you have.


If I'd like to donate money to set up bear cables and would like to volunteer to help set some up, much does a system cost and how much does a setup weigh?


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