Smoky Mountains Around Town / January 2019

Around Town Page 7
By Jim Yonan PER
Happy winter to Y'all. Sure doesn’t seem like
winter wearing my shorts. AHHH
Been busy at the Elks Lodge. My top picture
is from our local hoop shoot held at Rocky Top
Sports World. I would like to thank them for
letting us have our shoot there. That building and its
staff is a wonderful asset to our community . Thank
you Lori.
I had 21 kids come and shoot. Thank you to Elks that
helped me and to parents and people that brought
them. I really appreciate it and for everyone’s help
with scoring and rebounding too.
We had 4 kids go to district shoot in Knoxville with
one second place.
My bottom picture is packing Christmas baskets to
help our community. What a great feeling helping
people in need. I delivered baskets and it is
overwhelming when dropping off. Sure glad we can
help. We put presents in for the kids too. Sorry no
picture of them.
Ask an Elk about joining. I love the Elks.
The center picture is two fat guys enjoying the season.
I hope everyone has a healthy and Happy New Year
Love y'all Stay warm this winter.
Jimbo
Bo is a 1 year old Yellow Lab Mix
waiting for a good home and Pasta is a 4
year old Domestic short Hair Mix also
hoping to be adopted soon. Adoption
fee for Bo is $125 and $60 for Pasta.
F e e s c o v e r t h e i r fi r s t s e t o f
vaccinations, spay/neuter and
microchip. The Sevier County Humane
Society on Gnatty Branch Road is open
Tuesday thru Thursday from Noon
until 7:00 pm and Friday thru Sunday
from Noon until 5:00 pm.
For Adoptions
Call John at Hidden Hills Animal
Rescue: 865-255-3557
KEN WAYNE
Photography / Gallery & Studio / Workshop
Appalachian Bear Rescue
By Kathryn Sherrard
In the northern regions of the US, black bears are already in
dens for the winter. In fact, they may have been there for two or
three months. But in the Southern Appalachians it's a far
different story. There was food available well into December so
the bears continued to forage and eat, putting on weight to
sustain themselves through the winter.
Last month we said that it was likely that the nine cubs would
be released by the time you were reading that December issue.
Indeed, December was a very busy month for releases! The
cubs will be “Home” for the holidays!
First to leave was Persimmon Bear, who had been rescued
after a vehicle accident in late October when she was 9 months
old. She recovered quickly and was ready for release at the age
of 10.5 months. This is not at all uncommon for bears. They
tend to heal rapidly from many types of injuries and her short
stay at ABR with safety and good food was all she needed.
Persimmon Bear was released on December 4th, having gained
25 pounds. She weighed 103 pounds when she left ABR.
The next cub to leave was Willow Bear. When Willow Bear
was released on December 7th she had been with us for six
months and weighed 82 pounds – almost ten times as much as
when she arrived! She had been rescued after she and a sibling
were hit by a car. There was no mother is sight, so the TWRA
took the cubs to UT for an exam. Sadly, the other cub did not
survive, but Willow was transferred to ABR after the vets took
x-rays that showed no broken bones. They administered fluids
for dehydration and gave her pain medication. Willow started
out in the Cub Nursery, but protested against the small pen and
was moved to the Recovery Center, then to an Acclimation Pen,
and finally to the Wild Enclosure where she became one of the
“Six-pack” cubs.
On the tenth of December we downsized our cub population
with the release of the triplet cubs – Ruff, Tumble and Cherry.
The siblings were released together, although Curator Coy's
study of the 2015-2016 cubs showed that they do not generally
stay together, even when they are siblings.The triplets arrived
at ABR in August as 7-month-old cubs. Each of them weighed
about 20 pounds and they were healthy, although they showed
signs of a poor diet. Their mother had been relocated because
she was eating human foods. After she was removed from the
area, it was discovered that she had three cubs, so they were
brought to ABR. After four months of nutritious food the three
of them each weighed between 72 and 74 pounds.
The next cub to be released was Bosco Bear. He was admitted
in July as a 17.6 pound, 6-month-old cub. His exam at UT
showed him to be basically healthy, with no serious problems.
Why he was alone at his young age was not known, but to
insure his survival he was transported to ABR. On his release
day, December 17, he weighed a healthy 74.5 pounds and was
definitely ready to start life back in the wild.
The next release day was December 20, when our two
Kentucky cubs, Viola and Piccola, went home to their native
state. Viola Bear had come to ABR was in late May, at not quite
4 months of age, weighing 4.4 pounds and suffering from a
nasty wound on the back of her neck. The veterinarians at UT
said she had been attacked by an animal. They repaired her
wound and she started out in the ABR Cub Nursery. She moved
from the nursery to The Cub House, the Acclimation Pen and
finally to the Wild Enclosure, where she spent the remainder of
her time with five other cubs. When she returned to KY she
weighed 77 pounds and had a beautiful, healthy coat with no
trace of the bite wound.
Piccola, the other KY cub, arrived in mid-August and
required surgery to repair a perforated intestine. She was very
small in stature and weight, at 13 pounds. But despite her small
size she was arguably the most persistent and feisty cub of the
year. She was the Alpha cub in her Enclosure, which she shared
with the larger Dash Bear. Piccola Bear weighed 73.5 pounds
when released back to KY.
The last 2018 bear cub finally was captured and released on
December 21st. Dash Bear was with us since August, after she
was hit by a car and badly injured. She recovered quickly and
was released into the Wild Enclosure where Piccola was
residing. It took a while for the larger Dash to get used to pesky
little Piccola, but things did work out for them, eventually.
When Piccola entered the Acclimation Pen for ultimate release,
Dash remained outside. As the other eight cubs were worked
up and released, Dash still had not allowed herself to be
captured. The curators tried baiting a culvert trap, but that
didn't work and it was only after Piccola vacated the
Acclimation Pen and it could be opened again that Dash
entered and was captured.
Find out more about Appalachian Bear Rescue by visiting
our Facebook page: facebook.com/AppalachianBearRescue.
New photos are posted every day, so you can see what is going
on at the ABR facility and you can visit our Visitor/Education
Center in the Trillium Cove Shopping Village on East Lamar
Alexander Parkway, which is open Tuesday through Saturday
from 10 to 4. While there you can talk to knowledgeable
volunteers and purchase ABR merchandise. You can even
become a member of Appalachian Bear Rescue. We'd love to
see you there!
11 Food Dos and Don’ts to Tame Inflammation
Remember
1. Keep It Simple - Although no diet is proven to
cure or treat psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid
arthritis, or other inflammatory conditions, you
can choose foods that will help with it. Go for
items that haven’t been highly processed. You
want ones that are still close to their natural state.
2. DON’T Avoid Nightshade Vegetables -
Tomatoes, white potatoes, peppers, and
eggplants are sometimes called “nightshade”
veggies. Some people say they have less joint
pain and inflammation when they stop eating
nightshades, but research hasn't shown this. Take
tomatoes, for example. They have lycopene and
vitamin C that help curb inflammation. Chili
peppers also have benefits.
3. DO Get Spicy - Paprika belongs in your spice
rack. It lends flavor, color, and health perks to
food. It’s got capsaicin, a natural pain and
inflammation fighter. You can also get capsaicin
from chili peppers, red peppers, and cayenne
pepper. Other spices like ginger, turmeric, and
garlic may offer similar health perks.
4. DO Look Beyond Refined Starches - Foods
like white rice and white bread don’t have much
fiber. To keep inflammation at bay, go with whole
grains or whole wheat. You’ll get lots of other
nutrients, too.
5. DON’T Overlook Sugar - You know it’s in cake
and cookies. But have you checked how much is
in your yogurt, breakfast cereal, or even your fatfree
salad dressing or tomato sauce? Take a look
at the labels and add it up. The American Heart
Association recommends that women eat no
more than 25 grams of added sugars daily. For
men, the limit is 37 grams.
6. DO Go Lean - Too much fat in your steak, pork,
and lamb can promote inflammation. So can
processed red meats like bacon, sausage, and hot
dogs. Saturated fat might be one of the reasons for
that. Look for lean protein. Beans, fish, tofu, and
skinless chicken are also good options.
7. DON’T Shy Away From Fatty Fish - Eat two
servings a week, particularly salmon, sardines,
mackerel, and tuna. Fatty fish are one of the best
sources of omega-3s, a type of fat that tames
inflammation throughout the body.
8. DON’T Pass Up Cocoa - It has flavonoids,
which are nutrients that may curb inflammation.
To get cocoa in its best form, avoid it in highly
sweetened, processed foods (like cookies).
Instead, add cocoa powder to smoothies, chili, or
a mug of steamed milk. Tea and red wine have
similar flavonoids. But you’ll undo any benefit if
you have too much alcohol. Limit the booze to no
more than one drink a day if you're a woman or
two if you're a man.
9. DO Love Your Lentils - Whether red, green,
black, or brown, these seeds are a great source of
fiber. They’re good in soups and Indian foods (a
great place to add those spices we mentioned
earlier). Don’t like lentils? Try beans and peas.
You’ll still get the fiber but with a different taste.
10. DON’T Go Overboard With Olive Oil - It's a
tasty part of the good-for-you Mediterranean
diet. But it’s also high in calories, so make sure
you don’t drizzle too much on your salad. That
said, olive oil is a “good” fat. And “extra virgin”
versions have a natural chemical called
oleocanthal, which shares similar properties with
the anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen. Nuts,
avocados, and olives are other “good” fats you
can enjoy in moderation.
11. DO Try Mushrooms - Several kinds are good
for you, including white button mushrooms. Get
a variety of veggies in your diet and eat lots of
them.
in the mid-1990s when we
couldn't stop talking about El Niño? Well,
we're doing the same thing now with the polar
vortex. It could make for a wild winter for
much of the Northern Hemisphere in January,
particularly for the Eastern United States.
Why now? This extra brisk winter forecast
comes courtesy of Judah Cohen, a climate
r e s e a r c h e r a t A t m o s p h e r i c a n d
Environmental Research, a private
meteorological research and risk analysis
firm that provides data to government
agencies like NASA and the Department of
Defense. Cohen studies polar vortex
conditions and prediction models every day,
looking for potential disturbances that could
turn a normal winter into a harsh one.
The vortex, in case you need a reminder, is a
large area of low pressure located about
60,000 feet up on the atmosphere over both
the poles. That's the polar part. The vortex
part describes the counter-clockwise flow of
air that keeps the cold polar air up at the poles.
Sometimes, however, that flow of air is
disrupted, either by the winds changing
direction or stopping entirely. Either of these
events allows the vortex area to warm and the
cold polar air goes south, causing frigid
conditions in much of North America, Europe
and Asia.
Sometimes this cold air is trapped by the jet
stream and hangs around. Think back to
March 2018 when the U.S. experienced a
four-punch combo of nor'easters, or Europe
getting pummeled in March, and you'll have
an idea of how that cold air can linger.
The factors at play - Cohen says a disturbance
is likely to occur given two factors he uses in
his modeling. The first is the behavior of snow
cover in Siberia and the second is the amount
of Arctic sea ice. When the snow cover
advances quickly in the fall and the extent of
the sea ice in the Arctic is below normal,
Cohen says historical data leads him to
predict that a disturbance in the vortex is a
good bet.
Cohen's model is predicting colder than usual
temperatures for the Central and Eastern U.S.
and around 21 inches of snowfall in
Washington, D.C., between late December
and into February.
A 3-way split? Cohen also says the vortex
could split into three pieces, which could
cause severe winter weather. "Arctic change
has increased the frequency of these polar
vortex disruption events and following these
polar vortex disruption events you get more
severe winter weather".
Axios points out that in the past, polar vortex
splits have been linked with major
snowstorms, including one in 2010 when the
Mid-Atlantic was engulfed in blizzards.
Of course, weather forecasting, while a
science, isn't always an exact science. The
American modeling system says a disruption
could happen this month while the European
model pushes the disruption to January 2019
for Europe and a little later for America. (This
is to say nothing of forecasts from the like of
the Farmers' Almanac (very cold) or the Old
Farmer's Almanac (wet and warm).)
Keep your fingers crossed that the European
model is more on the nose, and that the
disturbance gets delayed further.
"The longer it takes to happen, the bigger
chance we have of a warmer winter," Cohen
told The Post.