Be bear aware
It’s a scarce year for the fall foods such as acorns and grapes that bears depend on to prepare for hibernation, and that means that people using the outdoors should be extra careful to avoid conflicts with the large mammals.
When food is hard to come by, bears move longer distances in search of a meal, increasing potential for interaction with humans and for undesirable behavior, like eating garbage.
• Obey any postings about areas closed due to bear activity.
• Stay at least 50 yards away from bears at all times.
• Don’t leave garbage bins outside. Remove attractants like bird feeders and pet foods.
• When camping, hang food properly. Feeding bears is illegal.
• Read up on what to do in case of a bear encounter at www.nps.gov/grsm/naturescience/black-bears.htm.
