Submitted by Fox First at Ten on June 27th
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) - Officials at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park have closed two camping areas because of bear activity.
The Asheville Citizen-Times (http://avlne.ws/MzJv89) reports that officials at the nation's most visited national park have also posted bear warnings in several other areas.
Park spokeswoman Molly Schroer says the backcountry camping areas were closed because bears searching for food have become bolder around people. No injuries have occurred.
The closed areas are Campsite 113 in the southwestern end of the park in North Carolina and the Cosby Knob Shelter in the northeastern corner of the park on the Tennessee side.
Schroer says she doesn't know how long the camping areas will be closed. She says it's important for people to be careful with food and garbage.
The park's bear population has been estimated at about 1,500 and growing.
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Information from: The Asheville Citizen-Times, http://www.citizen-times.com
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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