Appalachia Georgia Black Bear Education & Advocacy
November 29, 2022 is GIVING TUESDAY! Don’t miss this opportunity to donate to Appalachia Georgia Friends of the Bears on that day or any Tuesday throughout the year. To Donate, please visit https://www.gagives.org/organization/Appalachia-Georgia-Friends-Of-The-Bears.
The Appalachia Georgia Friends of the Bears (AG-FOB) organization was represented at the 6th International Human-Bear Conflicts Workshop held October 16-20, 2022 in Lake Tahoe, NV. AG-FOB Co-Founders, Gerald and Connie Hodge recently attended the Pathways to Progress: Connecting People, Conserving Bears themed workshops where Gerald presented Social Media, an Economic Enabler for Proactive Education and Outreach by Gerald Hodge, Appalachia Georgia Friends of the Bears. Read More About This Event
“The Appalachia Georgia Friends of the Bears, Inc. was founded as a result of the Founder & Co-Founder wanting to do something about reducing Black Bear road-kill. We try to give some dignity to a tragic situation. We collect scientific data, take pictures, do an external examination of the Black Bear, pull a pre-molar, and depending on location, we will collect other data we provide to Georgia DNR in the form of a written report.”
The Black Bear Spot Report is a reporting survey to help the Appalachia Georgia Friends of the Bears track Black Bear populations. If you spot a bear, please use the “Enter Black Bear Sighting” button below to add a marker on the map where you spotted the bear. The Black Bear Spot Report form includes providing your name and some contact information, in case we have further questions. We will not post the pictures on the website or social media unless we obtain permission for it from you as provided in the reporting form.
After contacting both Georgia DNR and BearWise.org, we identified a national need for Black Bear safety material available in Spanish. We had one of our pieces translated into Spanish and shared it with the Georgia DNR, BearWise.org, the National Park Conservation Association, the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, and the U.S. Forest Service – Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest for their use.
In partnership with BearWise.org and the Sisson Company, we were able to emplace over 15 “Be Bear Wise” signs through the Cherry Log Mountain Cabin Community.
In cooperation with our partners, the Georgia DNR, GDOT, and the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Department, we completed a study of Black Bear road-kills in Georgia and specifically, Georgia Highway 515 between Ellijay and Blue Ridge. As a result, our study was validated and GDOT emplaced the first Bear Crossing signs in North Georgia.
