If Wear Farm City Park was on your weekend plans in Pigeon Forge, you’ll want to pick another playground for now. The city temporarily closed the park on Saturday afternoon, November 7, after a nuisance bear was reported in the area.
What happened Saturday
WBIR and WVLT both reported the closure, based on an announcement from the City of Pigeon Forge. WVLT said the city posted that Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency staff would be in the area looking for the reported bear, and that the park would be closed beginning that afternoon as a precaution.
WBIR later reported that TWRA said wildlife officers are investigating a “human-bear” conflict that happened at the park. The agency told the station no injuries were reported.
The city asked people to stay away until the park reopens. “The park will reopen as soon as possible. Please avoid the park until it reopens,” the City of Pigeon Forge said, according to WVLT. Officials said they would post on social media when it is open again. As of Sunday morning, November 8, we have not seen a reopening notice.
Where to go instead
Wear Farm City Park is Pigeon Forge’s main city park. Completed in the spring of 2013, it has lighted sports fields, two playgrounds (including the fully accessible Discovery Playground), walking trails, a StoryWalk trail, pavilions and a basketball court, according to the city’s park page.
While Wear Farm Park is closed, the city pointed people to these alternatives:
- Patriot Park, 186 Old Mill Avenue
- Community Center Park, 170 Community Center Drive
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Please don’t stop by Wear Farm Park just to look. Extra cars and people can get in the way of wildlife officers and make a tense situation harder to handle.
A reminder that this is bear country
Black bears live throughout the Smokies, not only inside the national park. Great Smoky Mountains National Park estimates that roughly 1,900 black bears live in the park, about two per square mile, which is the densest black bear population in the country. They also wander into nearby towns when food is easy to find.
This time of year they are still out looking for calories. The park says bears in the Smokies typically start heading to winter dens sometime between late October and mid-December, and that nuts and acorns are especially important as they put on weight. Unsecured trash and leftover picnic food can draw a bear into a playground or ballfield.
A few basics from the park and from BearWise, which the city pointed people to:
- Never approach a bear, and don’t let one approach you. In the national park, coming within 50 yards (150 feet), or any distance that disturbs a bear, is illegal.
- Do not feed wildlife, and clean up food scraps and trash. Once a bear gets used to human food, it can lose its fear of people and often ends up in more serious trouble.
- If you see a bear in a neighborhood, city park or other developed area outside the national park, contact local officials rather than trying to handle it yourself.
- The city recommended BearWise.org for guidance on living safely around bears.
If you were headed to Wear Farm Park this week, check the city’s social media first. When the park reopens, it should show up there.