2024 Is ‘Year of the Bear’ for NC State Parks

An American icon steeped in history and lore, North Carolina State Parks has dubbed 2024 “Year of the Bear.” In the Tar Heel state, our only native bear is the American black bear.

While historical black bear habitat spread across the state until the mid-1900s, their current range spans across the mountains of the Blue Ridge and in hardwood forests and swamplands of the Coastal Plains. This leaves the Piedmont a veritable bear desert. Here in the Foothills, Lake James State Park typically sees light to moderate bear activity during peak times of year from spring to early autumn.

For those that live in prime bear country – especially Buncombe County residents – black bears can be an adorable nuisance. Their curious nature, omnivorous diet, and keen sense of smell frequently get them into hijinks. Black bears are usually shy and non-aggressive, but they can encounter humans while looking for food. Unsecured trash cans, coolers, and even cars with food inside are often subject to being pillaged by a hungry black bear.

Even though sightings are infrequent, humans can pose a big risk to black bears – and we don’t mean hunting. Our friend with BearWise® have some easy tips for you to do your part in protecting black bears while you’re visiting Lake James State Park:

• Never feed or approach bears – while you may be well-intentioned, you could cost a bear its life if it becomes too habituated to people.

• Properly store food, trash, and cookware – make sure your food is secured in your campsite’s bear box. That includes pet food, trash, and empty food wrappers as well. NEVER store food or cookware in your tent!

• Keep dogs on-leash at all times – not only is this a law in state parks, off-leash dogs can threaten black bears. Off-leash dogs are a factor in over half of all negative encounters between black bears and humans.

• Notify a ranger if you see a bear – while simply seeing a bear enjoying the park (much like yourself) is not automatically cause for alarm, it’s helpful for park staff to keep track of bear activity.