MONTEAGLE, Tenn. — I possess a vague childhood memory about a couple of nuisance black bears being relocated to one of the Tims Ford Reservoir islands sometime in the 1980s. The only problem with that plan was that bears can swim. They did, and several made their way to area slop troughs, including one right down the road from my home. Imagine my surprise when I biked past and spotted the bear lapping up what he must have thought was the biggest bowl of porridge ever.
That event represented a forced migration. It seems black bears may naturally be on the move here. A recent alert posted by Fiery Gizzard State Park in nearby Monteagle is drawing attention to a wildlife trend that has been quietly unfolding across Middle Tennessee for years — the return of the black bear.
The park, a popular destination for hikers just over an hour’s drive from Lynchburg, posted a notice this week warning visitors of a recent black bear sighting within park boundaries and urging people to stay alert, secure food and trash, keep pets leashed, and remain on designated trails. For many Moore County residents, it may come as a surprise. But wildlife biologists say it shouldn’t.
A Tennessee Success Story — With a Caveat
Black bears were nearly wiped out in Tennessee by the early 1970s. In the 1960s, there were as few as 50 black bears inside the borders of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Tennessee’s bear season was completely closed in the early 1970s as part of an effort to rebuild the population, and the state established bear refuges — protected areas where hunting would never be allowed…