“The Appalachia Georgia Friends of the Bears, Inc. was founded as a result of the founder and co-founder wanting to do something about reducing Black Bear roadkill. 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.” Roadkill Incident Response Protocol
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.
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