I can’t believe I missed this one. There is an organization out there that helps the bears in the Appalachians. I wanted to point you guys in their direction. They also have a regular blog you might want to take a look at sometime!
Here’s a link to the main site… http://www.appalachianbearrescue.org/
The blog… http://abrblog.wordpress.com/
This looks like a great chance to study the Black Bear in the Smokies. The only drawback for me is the cost ($1500,) but if you have the cash, you can study the black bear with an expert who has been on the animal channel documentary about bears. I found the info on an excellent Smoky Mountains blog… http://hikinginthesmokys.blogspot.com/2009/03/black-bear-field-study-workshops.html
Check out this link on the National Park’s website about black bears…
GoSmoky.com 