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UINTA NATIONAL FOREST -- A busy Utah campground will be open again just in time for Pioneer Day weekend, now that an aggressive bear is out of the picture.
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources confirms the problem bear at Payson Lakes was put down within hours of the encounter that alarmed the agency.
Conservation Outreach Manager Scott Root says the bear showed absolutely no fear of people and had clearly found that the campsites provided an easy food source.
"[It] had jumped up on a car and done some damage," Root says. "When the campers started making noise like they should have done to make it scare away, this thing just would not, it would not go away."
More than 100 campsites at Payson Lakes had to be closed because of the bear's close encounter with those campers. Root says the likely culprit was the attraction of food.
"Keep your food in your vehicles, in the trunk, in airtight plastic -- whatever you can do. But don't store it in your tents," he advises.
He says anything with a scent, not just food, can attract bears.
"Toothpaste, deodorants," Root says. "The big thing is people like to have little snacks in their tent."
In addition to making a lot of noise, he says if you come face to face with a bear, you should raise or wave your arms to make yourself appear as big as possible, stand your ground rather than run, and if attacked, put up a fight.
E-mail: bbruce@ksl.com
