Post Helene, food sources are attracting bears to one neighborhood
By Lindsay Clein
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CHIMNEY ROCK, North Carolina (WXII) — Helene forever changed Western North Carolina.
For one Chimney Rock neighborhood, in particular, it’s also changing what kind of wildlife can be spotted there.
One man in Chimney Rock says bears have been coming onto his property since the storm, after their food sources were washed into his neighborhood.
“Oh, I saw it all happen,” Bob ‘The Cowboy’ Graham said.
The day Helene hit remains fresh in his mind.
“It happened just like that,” Graham said.
The damage came quickly. The swift waters and strong winds brought so many rocks and trees to his backyard.
“The storm uncovered all of this,” he said, as he pointed to piles of debris.
Not only were remnants from nature swept downstream, but also food sources for wildlife.
“I haven’t seen Bigfoot,” Graham said. “I’ve seen plenty of bears, though.”
Since the storm, bears have been coming onto his property.
“Little Bit has no fear of them,” Graham said of his dog. “She goes right after them.”
His dog, named Little Bit, has no problem chasing the bears away.
“I think they wait in the shadows and wait until we leave,” Graham said.
This wasn’t so much a problem prior to the storm.
“All the people’s refrigerators and restaurants– all their food and debris ended up here,” Graham said. “And since there were no people here, the bears were coming down and eating large.”
Now, the bears are used to finding food there.
“So they’ve gotten used to coming down here,” Graham said. “And now that people are coming back, neighbors have been seeing them, too.”
From bear sightings to bear carvings, he’s using scraps from the extra trees and debris for some good.
“We had so many trees end up here in the backyard,” Graham said. “And Josh started carving tree spirit animals and people into them.”
His friend Josh has been using the remnants from the storm to scrap together carvings for decor. A sign of resilience after the storm.
“And he goes, ‘I wanna make sure people know there’s good going on here,'” Graham said. “It’s not all devastation. Let’s show there’s beauty that survived.”
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