UPDATED 5/8/2007 ..development-related story
Hungry bears attack dogs in mountain backyards
(see below)
This is the first in a 3-part series on VIEWS.
I'll start by asking you a question. When you leave your abode, be it a youthful yurt or a lofty lodge, does what you see as you walk out the door matter to your clients (and you)?
Certainly, the ever-changing panorama beyond my door stirs me. To the East, just this morning, a poet's study in pure potential. (photo to your left) painted itself on the sky.
Twelve hours later, to the West, Ursus americanus blasted complacency to the rising moon when I stepped outside, camera in hand, abruptly to come within reach of this recalcitrant 200-pound bear at my front door.
Helloooo! Talk about "in your face"!!! But I had been warned. 
An article in the Asheville Citizen Times reminded readers that it'snow bear feeding season.
Development just over the ridge to the North of our home crowded the bears out of their neighborhood and into our backyard. Clearcutting 30 acres (to expose a view), re-directed the bear path South and travelers along it, three cubs and Mama Bear, toward the ants in our woodpile. In case you didn't know it, bears love to munch on ants.
"Development is rapidly replacing bear habitat with human habitat in many forested areas. Newcomers often move here to be close to and enjoy nature, but it never occurred to them that a bear might visit their yard," reported the Asheville Citizen-Times.
REALTORS® BEWARE. While bears may be a matter for REALTORS ® in our neck of the woods to take up with relocating clients, these neighborhood sleuths are not the only challenge. In-the-know REALTORS® must be alert.
REALTORS® need to learn about factors that could contribute to the safety of clients, no matter where we practice. Here in Western North Carolina we must take into account the very real possibility of landslide. ( I wrote a bout this in an earlier article) According to the North Carolina Geological Survey's analysis of the risk of slides, reports an Op Ed in the Citizen Times "...on slopes of 40 percent or more, the risk rises... dramatically. ...
Construction of homes on steep slopes, whatever the elevation, needs to be regulated to protect the safety and the investment of those who buy the homes - and to protect those who live down-slope ...ensuring that homes built on slopes of 25 percent or greater, or in areas identified by the NCGS as prone to slides, be constructed safely. 
EXAMPLE: A 50 ton boulder in a rockslide caused severe damage
to this 4-year old Broad River Fire Station
Buncombe County,(Asheville) North Carolina
For additional information about landslide hazards in North Carolina, please contact Mr. Richard Wooten with the Asheville Regional Office.
Other factors that contribute to the stability of a slope, the type of soil, the depth of bedrock, the presence or absence of a spring, and the amount and type of vegetation -real property investors need to consider. Here, a professional REALTOR® with an ECO designation can be the "resource for the resource."
Scenic views rank very high on the list of "Must Haves" in our area.
(See my photo at the beginning of this article) But building on a steep slope is not without consequences.
And, it is a "given" that real estate professionals be aware of consequences,
the intended and the unintended.
Talk to me about your local market. What, in your view, is important in your neighborhood?
A good place to start might be the US Geological Survey http://www.usgs.gov/
P.S. Black Bears Eat
- Horsetails & grasses
- Berries: chokecherry, huckleberry, & buffalo berry are favorites forbs (broad-leaned plants)
- Aquatic plants such as lilies
- Elk & Moose calves
- Deer fawns
- Ground squirrels & other small rodents
- Unsuspecting REALTORS® (just kidding!!!)
- Wasps, Ants
- Bees (adults & larvae)
- Carrion
Bear News 5/8/2007 The Asheville Citizen Times today reported
Hungry bears attack dogs in mountain backyards | |
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) -- Bears in mountain communities have killed two family dogs in recent days, the result of cold weather depleting food supplies and development encroaching on wildlife, officials said. The killing or injuring of dogs happens each year when hungry bears head into developed areas looking for foodthen are provoked when dogs start barking at them, said Mike Carraway, a state Wildlife Resources Commission officer. In Asheville on Sunday night, a mother black bear killed a dog that had been let out in the back yard. The bear, which had cubs nearby, was trying to get to a bird-feeder.In another incident Sunday night, a black bear killed a dog in a Madison County backyard. "The dog is being aggressive, barking at the bear and the bear is basically just defending itself and its cubs," Carraway said. "It's common for this to happen in the spring when bears have small cubs." Bear attacks are also becoming more common as development increases in bear habitats inmountainous areas, forcing bears to other areas. The population of bears is also increasing, Carraway said. |
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Hi JAneanne:
Like the view and the bear! Good info on landslides, a fact that few people moving here ever take ino consideration when they are looking at homes on steep slopes.
Unfortunately, too, more folks are going to have bear encounters due to the scope of development happening in the our mountains. Black bears are not nearly as dangerous as their grizzly kin, but you still need to give them a wide berth and of course, never, ever, under any circumstances feed them! Its like giving them a death sentence.
Your way with words make the stories you write come to life. Thanks for placing me at your doorstep..I can almost smell the pines.
janeAnne, wow the first two shots are amazing! There may be a Florida Panther roaming around Daytona, they do eat Agents :). I don't understand the clear cutting? Whats wrong with a forest view?
janeAnne, what a great view to wake up to! And a bear! You sure live in an awesome place. In my market Poinciana Fl the only thing you see when you walk outside is another house just like yours across the street and on all sides. Booooring. But my view at home is very nice. We have red tail fox, osprey, bald eagles, sand hill cranes, wild boar and much more wild life. In fact, we live on what they call the citrus ridge. It runs right down the middle of the State of Florida, for about 50 miles and is the highest point in the state. The citrus ridge has more endangered species(plant and animal) that any other place on the planet!!! Who would have thunk it? This is the view from our balcony.
Bill~
You know, each animal has a special "way" about it...to see that "way" up close and personal is a privilege. Still I am wondering about the benefits of moving into the habitat of bears so aggressively and without due planning. if the developer in the case of the bears in my neighborhood and left a green space along the top of the ridge and for several acres below it, I doubt that we would be having the potentially dangerous situation we are having today.
Oh, I am such a city girl. If I walked out of my home and saw a bear I would die of fright. You with the bears, TLW & BB with the crocs, oh my! When I want to see wildlife I will just go to the zoo, thank you, lol.
The views are gorgeous!
Michele~
And to you, too! Each time I read one of your articles, I get to visit the coast via nonlocal space ..YAY!
Stepanie~
I'm awaiting YOUR photo essay and know it will be as you describe mine. Thank you!
Lysa~
Coming from you, the photojournalist of the Active Rain Network, your comment on my photos is a HUGE compliment, THX! Your report today on a Fire Not So Distant is the perfect example.
So far you are the only one who got my joke about bears and REALTORS. HoHo
But there's no joke about clearcutting, especially for the critters and those residents down-slope.
Bryant~
I found your reference to the Lake Wales Region Ecosystemfascinating! I didn't realize there was this much left of the Florida my mother, a native Floridian knew as she grew up in the orchards near Bradenton.
Thanks, too for the graphic/map.
Now please get out there early in the morning and give us a photo essay on the red tail fox, osprey, bald eagles, sand hill cranes, and wild boar (???) yeeowZAH!
Laurie~
When I first moved to the mountains, I felt the same way. Butterflies, yes. Possibly a dragonfly or two, maybe even a wild turkey (they come to visit all the time)...
here two of the flock of 14 cross the gravel road at the curve....
but bears were/and still are to be viewed with great caution!
I heard that mountain lions roam the hills of Long Beach waiting to rest on the doorstep of unsuspecting REALTORS there . . .
HAHAHAHAHAH, nice try, no hills here except Signal Hill, no lions tigers or bears oh my! There are mountain lions up in the mountains, far away from here, they do wander down into the communities occasionally, have even seen a few myself when I have been up that way.
Was driving up a dirt road in Malibu several years ago and a deer came out of nowhere and jumped over the hood of my car. Quite a sight. As a matter of fact , my car and I have had several run in's with deer.
Dena~
I've been watching the cubs for almost a year now. This one is the run. he can't keep up with-the other two, Those tow chase each other up and down my twin polars in the front yard..then scramble up the ridge...he tries to catch up...they get all the good things to eat...their coats look OK...but it's pretty sad... This is the closest he has ventured...so far...This time I could see that his eyes were dull and he had crusted eyelids...his fur was scruffy...not enough food...and I can' feed him...
Roger~
Come on back to North Carolina. The real estate market is great. The people are kind. The food (at least around Asheville) is fantabulous...and so is the scenery.
Wow, JaneAnne,
That is some awesome view you get to wake up to each day! I could skip the bear though.
The wildest things we see from our vista are cardinals, rabbits, and soaring hawks. Haven't seen a dear since we moved from NY, where they would hang out occasionally in our yard.
Like Laurie I had an all to close encounter with one while driving...very scary!
Ginger
Everyone~
Thanks for your comments. I'll be back to comment on your comments in a bit...sure have enjoyed reading about the views you see...and..how about your VIEWS (opinions) on this...
REALTORS® BEWARE. While bears may be a matter for REALTORS ® in our neck of the woods to take up with relocating clients, these neighborhood sleuths are not the only challenge. In-the-know REALTORS® must be alert. REALTORS® need to learn about factors that could contribute to the safety of clients, no matter where we practice.
I saw more black bear last year in our Ceston community than my previous years. I'm guessing that's a result of more neigboring developments forcing them out. By setting aside 50 percent of our 1100 acres in conservation easements our hope is the bear, turkey, deer, etc. will co-exist with the families living here. So far so good. Creston also has the advantage of the adjacent Pisgah National Forest being a haven for wildlife. I'm surprised I never ran into any bear last summer as I was munching on all the awesome blackberries we had.
Ginger~
Close encounters with nature...good subject for your photo essay (wink)...Your photos and story will be like a trip to the ocean for me...
Lysa and Bryant~
Did you know that I grew up in the groves? My Grandpaw had groves near Sarasota...One of the King Orange trees he grafted for me when I was very young still stands in Bradenton....and I know what you mean when you talk about Old Florida. The scent of orange blossoms in the air, the Spanish moss, an undeniable sense of place...Do the Keys still have it.?..and up around Indian River??....
Lysa~ you wrote...""ME" people with too much money. How do we un-"ME" people?
Bryant~you wrote..."The citrus ridge is one of natures wonders and they are destroying it. We have subdivisions with Bald eagle nests right smack dab in the center..." and I ask you the same question...How do we un-"ME" people?
I'm looking to the REALTORS to do it...I don't know how yet...
Lisa~
It IS scary! ...especially when many investors and developers from out-of-State don't have a clue about how to recognize potential landslide areas...I'm not an expert, but I do my groundwork ...as a land specialist, I am lucky to have a resource team who can get us expert answers
Corey~
It's official...I am hereby humbly requesting a photo essay on the 50 percent of your 1100 acres in conservation easements the bear, turkey, deer, etc. co-existing with the families living there.
JaneAnne,
I humbly accept and we shall see if I'm up the the challenge. One of our owners saw her first bear yesterday. It took her three years of patiently waiting but the bear made up for it by being 500 or 600 pounds.
Corey~
Given that you spend so much time in a genuine conservation development, I imagine you will have amazing photos and stories to share. Sure look forward to both.
PS..CHECK OUT the UPDATE(above) that I just added to this post...and tell your homeowners to watch out for the safety of their dogs...
The Asheville Citizen Times today reported
Hungry bears attack dogs in mountain backyards
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) -- Bears in mountain communities have killed two family dogs in recent days, the result of cold weather depleting food supplies and development encroaching on wildlife, officials said. The killing or injuring of dogs happens each year when hungry bears head into developed areas looking for food then ...(see update above)