The Echo Bearvestigates
Solie Lawson | Dec. 9, 2025
A bear walks across the lawn next to Bryson Gym at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, N.C. on August 21, 2025. (Echo/Ryleigh Johnson)
Warren Wilson College (WWC) students may have noticed an increase in the number of bears roaming around campus, and many may be asking why there have been so many active near residence halls and other populated areas of campus. The BearWise crew specializes in understanding how to make the WWC campus safe while being cautious of the bears that have taken residence, helping to manage inevitable run-ins between students and wildlife.
Jacob White, a sophomore on the BearWise crew, has been taking steps to ensure the safety of students when they interact with bears. His role in the crew is to focus on community outreach, public education and reducing bear interactions through training.
“[The BearWise crews] main goals are to reduce bear activity on campus and to get bear-proof trash kits on campus,” White said.
Bear sightings on campus have increased exponentially because Hurricane Helene stirred up debris and trash, which resulted in drawing bears from their natural habitat.
“There's always been an influx of bears,” White said. “This year they've been a little bit bolder than usual.”
Crab apple trees have been an attraction for bears, as well as blueberry and blackberry bushes located on campus. With the increase of bears on campus, according to USA Today’s article, it is suggested by the state of North Carolina for WWC’s Public Safety officers to use paintball guns to deter their presence, according to hazing guidelines. Many locals mentioned in the article have used rubber balls opposed to paintballs for the safety of the bears, but that is not a legal requirement.
Mazzy Carroll is a junior who works on both the Bio/ENS Crew and the BearWise Crew. Their role consists of communicating with crews and the community about being aware of bears, sometimes accomplished by donning a bear suit. Most of the information shared during these presentations is provided to BearWise from WWC’s Outdoor Leadership Crew. Carroll emphasized the impact of Hurricane Helene's destruction on the increase in on-campus bear sightings.
“I think that the bears are just still figuring out where and how to get back into the swing with things, but it's an issue since there's more bear [to] human interactions on campus,” Carroll said. “Since there's less barriers and there's less funding for bear-safe trash cans, we're teaching them to interact with us, which is incredibly dangerous for the person, but mostly for the bear.”
Bears that are aggressive will be euthanized per the standard practice of the Wildlife Service, so precautions need to be taken to ensure the safety of wildlife. The WWC campus is in the process of getting electric fences installed for bear protection, as well as securing some bear-proof trash cans. Carroll noted the importance of future campus protection against bears.
“[We need to] figure out [what bear education] to teach, [tell] students with dogs what to do, students who've never seen a bear what to do,” Carroll said. “It's important because if we go through with that, things will get back to normal. Bears have been happy in our forests for so long, [and we] have so much land at this college. As long as we can respect their places, and we can respect that we're hurting them by providing [food] for them, I think that things will get better.”
Carroll also mentioned the importance of reporting bear sightings, using the QR codes located throughout WWC, and said that students should contact the BearWise Crew over email or on Instagram if they have questions about bears.
Bears are not necessarily a danger to students now, but because Hurricane Helene has flushed them onto the WWC campus in larger numbers, they have been getting closer to and less fearful of humans. White and Carroll assert that taking safety actions, like installing fences and bear-proof trash cans, will help protect humans and wildlife on campus.