Montreat Minute 8/16/24
“Code Red” on Bears
Many Montreaters would agree that this season has brought more bear activity than in the past. Previously, most of the activity was sightings and bears getting into trash occasionally. This year seems to have brought significantly elevated activity. Not only are there more sightings and trash upheavals, even during the day, but much destructive activity has been reported. There have been numerous reports of bears breaking into crawl spaces and tearing out foundation vents.
But the most concerning activity is two reports earlier this week of bears entering homes. In both cases, bears entered in through screened windows. In one house, no one was home. However, in the second, people were in the house when the bear entered.
Why is this happening? The primary reason is bears know homes are an excellent food source, as told by the vast number of trash cans bears have gotten in to. Their primary natural food sources, nuts and berries, are scarce now. Why should they go foraging in the mountains when they can hit a trash can and satisfy their appetites?
How do we resolve it? Cut off their food source. Make sure trash is secured, meaning locked tightly. Use a bear proof trash container that securely latches. If you rent out your house, PLEASE inform renters of the seriousness of securing their trash. The majority of incidents reported to the Town are related to rental homes.
Here are other things to help control bear incursions:
- If possible, contain trash indoors and don’t put it out until Monday morning
- As much as Montreaters love birds, stop putting out bird seed until early winter. If you can’t “bear” that thought, use only one feeder and bring it in in late afternoon.
- Secure crawl space entrances and foundation vents with heavy duty materials. If bears can bend metal trash can lids in half, they can easily pull out a foundation vent or a plywood door on a crawl space. Bears don’t like bright light or noise, so put a flood light and a loud radio (if you can stand the noise!) in your crawl space.
- Keep doors and windows closed. Bears can easily get through dog doors. If you do not have air conditioning and need the windows open, open the upper sash instead of the lower. The Wildlife Resources Commission recommends driving a series of nails through a piece of plywood and placing the plywood, nail points upward, under windows.
If you have other solutions that work for you, share them by sending an email to [email protected]. We need all the help we can get!
More Helping Hands
Earlier this year, we shared two stories of Montreaters quietly helping make Montreat a better place. Lolly and Allan Hightower pick up trash nearly every day on their walks. And Robert Sulaski has voluntarily re-painted signs by the Post Office.
We recently found yet another Montreater using her time to beautify Montreat. In walking around town, Arrington Cox noticed a stone wall hidden behind a blanket of English Ivy. She then proceeded to spend several days with a pair of garden shears, loppers, and gloves to remove the ivy from the beautiful stone wall. Check it out at the northwest corner of Virginia and Louisiana Roads. And this was not her first wall beautification project. Last year she did the same thing on a “discovered” wall on North Carolina Terrace.
We thank Arrington for taking the time and effort to make Montreat even more beautiful. If you know someone who quietly helps make Montreat a better place, let us know by emailing to [email protected].
Update on MRA’s Plans for Lake Susan Dredging
As announced earlier by the Conference Center, MRA will be dredging Lake Susan for the first time in more than twenty years. Many areas of the lake are completely filled with sediment, causing a loss of water clarity, aquatic habitat, and recreational value.
MRA received a grant from the State of North Carolina for the project. Although there are many reasons for the dredging project, primary purposes are to restore the lake’s depth and layout to what it was historically, improve the recreational and aesthetic value of the lake, and provide a better habitat for fish and natural vegetation. Besides the dredging, two additional projects will be completed, including rerouting the incoming creek at the foot bridge to its original historical path after Tropical Storm Alberto created the small island under the bridge in 2018. The other project will be to improve the wetlands development over on the College’s side of the lake, creating a wetlands “shelf” to improve fish and natural vegetation habitats.
Awaiting final permitting, MRA expects work to begin in the fall and be completed by the end of the year. The lake will be hydraulically dredged, essentially vacuuming the sediment out from all areas of the lake. The deepest portion of the lake will be approximately 14 feet near the dam. However, swimming will not be allowed in the lake– boating and fishing only.
“We are excited about this project”, stated Seth Hagler, MRA’s Vice President for Development. “It is part of our ongoing initiatives to promote environmental sustainability and enhance the well-being of Montreat and the surrounding communities.”
Where’s Monte This Week?
Congratulations to Martha Campbell for correctly identifying that Monte was resting on the labyrinth in the shelter near the old reservoir off Greybeard Road. She won a gift card to the Huckleberry.
This week Monte was busy as usual. He seems to have taken a liking to the Public Works Department as he constantly hangs out with them. He got to ride in their trucks—and they taught him safety comes first!!
After all that work, he ended his week by cooling his feet in the creek. Can you identify where Monte is in the photo below?
Where in Montreat is Monte this week?
Send your guess to [email protected] by Monday at noon to win a prize! First correct answer will win!
Updates and Other Reminders
- Montreat College is moving into high gear. New students arrive today, August 16th. Welcome Week is August 16-19, with the rest of the students arriving on the 19th. Classes begin on August 20th. Be aware of increased vehicular traffic and welcome the students,
- Donations are still being sought to “light the Montreat Gate”. The Town of Montreat, MRA, and the Montreat Adult Summer Club have joined together to light the Montreat gate for the holidays. Please make a donation to help purchase the lights and other needed supplies. Make your tax deductible check out to the Town of Montreat and note it is for Gate Lights. Send it to Town of Montreat, PO Box 423, Montreat, 28757.
- Do you receive your own copy of the Montreat Minute or know someone who doesn’t? Sign up for the Sunshine List to receive the Montreat Minute and stay “in the know” about the Town’s happenings. CLICK HERE to sign up for the list!
Questions or Comments?
Do you have Town-related questions or comments to offer? If so, please send them to Angie Murphy at [email protected] and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Have a great weekend!