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14Th Annual J.A.K.E.S. Day At Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center Scheduled For May 15, 2010

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

MANSFIELD, Ga. --(AmmoLand.com)- Looking for a way for the whole family to enjoy the outdoors this spring?

Come to Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center’s JAKES Day Saturday, May 15! This fun-filled event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center’s (CEWC) Discovery Area in Mansfield.

Sponsors for the JAKES Day include the Georgia Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division (WRD).

Admission is free and includes an array of activities that focus on wildlife, conservation efforts and outdoor recreational opportunities in Georgia. Children can try their hands at archery, fishing, shooting sports, and can go on a mini-boat ride with a WRD Conservation Ranger. Show your spirit for the outdoors by getting your face decorated with wildlife art! Presentations scheduled for this event include puppet shows from Keep Covington/Newton Beautiful, retriever demonstrations, and live snake and bird of prey programs. Several exhibitors from wildlife-related organizations also will be on hand to give out information and goodies to those interested in expanding their outdoor horizons.

The first 300 kids will receive a free t-shirt and a free hot dog lunch from the Georgia Chapter of NWTF (adults can eat for a nominal fee). For kids under 17 years old, memberships in the NWTF’s JAKES club (Juniors Acquiring Knowledge, Ethics, & Sportsmanship) will be available for a small membership fee. Door prizes will be given away at the close of the event too! Be sure to stop by the Visitors’ Center to view an indoor planetarium set up by the Atlanta Chapter of the National Astronomy Club, tour the museum, and visit the gift shop. Discounts will be available for several gift gallery items (excludes hunting & fishing licenses and Charlie Elliott books).

For further information, visit www.georgiawildlife.com and choose the “Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center” quick link, or call CEWC at (770) 784-3059. To get to CEWC, take I-20 to Exit 98. Travel south on Highway 11, go through Mansfield and continue three miles south to the entrance at Marben Farms Road on the left. Then follow the JAKES Day signs to the Discovery Area. Hope to see you there!

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Spring Time Means Bear Sighting Time

Spring Time Bears

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga --(AmmoLand.com)- A black bear sighting, even somewhere like metro Atlanta, is not altogether unusual, especially during the Georgia springtime.

That’s because during the spring and summer, young male bears that are “on their own” for the first time may be found roaming and sometimes stumbling into non-traditional bear range, including suburbs and urbanized areas.

Adult males typically force these young males out of familiar territory and what is considered traditional bear range. As a result, young males continue to roam as they try to establish their own territory.

In an effort to curb the instinctive alarm that residents may experience when a bear is sighted, wildlife biologists with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division want to inform and educate residents and visitors on how best to respond.

“If a black bear is sighted passing through an area, the best thing to do is to leave it alone,” says Wildlife Biologist Adam Hammond. “Residents should never approach a bear and never, under any circumstances, feed a bear. Even worse, attempting to ‘tree’ or corner a bear in a certain area often compromises both the safety and welfare of the public and the bear.”

If left alone, these young male bears, referred to as ‘transient’ bears, usually make their way back to more traditional bear range – the North Georgia mountains, the Ocmulgee River drainage system in central Georgia, or the Okefenokee Swamp in the southeastern part of the state. Increased reports of bear sightings from residents in North Georgia indicate that the bear population in this area is healthy and may be experiencing range expansion.

According to Hammond, unless there is evidence of aggressive behavior, or if a bear is continually getting into garbage or other non-natural food sources (i.e. birdseed, compost piles, grills and pet food), there is no real cause for alarm.

While there is no way to prevent a bear from wandering into a neighborhood, there are a few steps people can take to discourage one from staying:

• Never, under any circumstances, feed a bear. Such activity is unlawful.
• Keep items, such as grills, pet food or bird feeders off-limits to bears. Clean and store grills when not in use. Keep pet food indoors and take bird feeders down if bears are in the area.
• Convert to ‘bear-proof’ garbage containers, or store garbage in the garage or other enclosed area until pick-up day.

Properly securing food and garbage prevents bears from accessing non-natural, human-provided food sources and thereby, helps avoid the unhealthy process of habituation, which occurs when bears easily obtain food sources from humans, begin associating humans with food and as a result, lose their innate wariness of people.

The black bear is a treasured symbol of Georgia’s natural diversity. Now considered the most common bear in North America and the only bear found in Georgia, at one point the species was nearly eradicated from the state due to poaching and habitat loss. Yet, because of sound wildlife management practices, Georgia’s current black bear population is healthy and thriving and is estimated at approximately 5,100 bears statewide.

For more information regarding black bears, visit www.georgiawildlife.com or contact a Wildlife Resources Division, Game Management office. The public also can visit their local library to check out a copy of an informational DVD entitled, “Where Bears Belong: Black Bears in Georgia.”

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