Ghost of Midnight

Black bear neighbor

#VT – Donna Faser-Leary writes in the Charlotte Observer this week…

Early this summer a new resident arrived in Charlotte: a black bear. The Charlotte Front Porch Forum, an online neighborhood communication resource, has been instrumental in keeping Charlotters informed of the bear’s whereabouts and activities. What first appeared to be a chance sighting soon became a frequent occurrence from East Charlotte to West, especially around the Mt. Philo area. Reports of destroyed birdfeeders, strewn trash bags and raided compost piles have been evidence of a bear’s visit. Only one bear has been occasionally sighted, and it has not shown any aggression toward either animals or humans but has merely given a huffing sound as a warning of its presence, a normal bear response…

People need to put away birdfeeders and store trash and other bear-appealing items in lock-safe containers. Don’t leave cookout or other food supplies out in the open unattended, and lock your sheds. Prevention is key. If a bear keeps coming around, Drury suggests hanging heavy-duty balloons loaded with some cayenne (hot) pepper powder off a shed or porch overhang. The bear will pop it, and “one time is usually all it takes.” Shooting at the bear with rubber bullets, which will scare but not kill it, is also an option…

Another online resource to tap into is the Charlotte Front Porch Forum, a free neighborhood communication service open only to people in your town. To join, go to frontporchforum.com. It will help you track bear sightings, find your dog, sell your stuff, get robbery alerts and keep informed about local issues and events.