Caara Hunter
Kim Delozier of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation,left, and Jeff Hunter of National Parks Conservation Association confer during the early planning stage of the connectivity project.
The issue of motor vehicles colliding with wildlife has reached a tipping point throughout East Tennessee and Western North Carolina, data suggests, with at least 35 bears struck and killed in the Pigeon River Gorge in the last 10 months. Researchers say increasing animal and human populations, as well as growing tourism, contribute to the deadly encounters.
In response, Great Smoky Mountains Association will host Jeff Hunter, senior program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association, for a panel discussion on the issue at The Strand, 38 North Main Street in Waynesville, North Carolina, on Saturday, April 20, at 10 a.m.
Panelists will include Steve Goodman, NPCA’s Volgenau wildlife research fellow; National Park Service biologist Bill Stiver; Liz Hilliard, a wildlife scientist with the nonprofit Wildlands Network; and Dave McHenry of the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
When vehicles collide with bear, deer and even elk in and out of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, both animal and human lives are at stake. The Interstate 40 Pigeon River Gorge wildlife
corridor - a 28-mile stretch of highway near the Smokies’ boundary - will be a key focus for solutions in what is known as the Pigeon River Gorge Wildlife Connectivity Project.
Goodman said the primary goal of the project “is to improve wildlife’s ability to cross this portion of Interstate 40, to improve public safety." The information gained from the project could provide valuable insight into the highway’s effect on wildlife, both in terms of collisions and in terms of how the highway may be serving as a barrier to wildlife movement.
“Reducing mortality and lessening the barrier effect will increase the safe flow of animals," Goodman said, "including those moving to and from the Smokies for seasonal breeding and foraging opportunities.”
The public discussion is open to the first 75 registered people, and there is no cost to attend.
Registration is required, and you can register on the Great Smoky Mountains Association website at SmokiesInformation.org.
For more information, call or email Dana Murphy at (865) 436-7318 Ext. 349 or Dana@GSMAssoc.org.