Pigeon Forge’s Jan. 9-16, 2010, event has activities for entire family

PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. – So what’s an outdoorsman supposed to do?  He wants to be on the lake or in the woods, but his wife and kids just don’t understand.

The answer is to get his family excited about the outdoors, too, and one solution is letting Wilderness Wildlife Week in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., generate that excitement.

Wilderness Wildlife Week is a January event with more than 230 programs spread over eight days. There are sessions about bears, elk, trout and other species, plus nature photography workshops, map and compass classes and even opportunities to meet a bald eagle or learn how to hoot like an owl.

Almost 60 hikes and excursions into the national park complement the indoor programs. In 2009, more than 1,000 hikers from 18 states logged a cumulative 4,656 miles.

“The range of topics is huge.  I think virtually everybody can learn something, be entertained and get turned on to outdoor activities,” said Leon Downey, executive director of the Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism, which organizes the  week.

Dates for Wilderness Wildlife Week’s 20th year are Jan. 9-16, 2010. More than 150 experts—outfitters, nature photographers, biologists, raptor rehabilitators, social historians and just plain folks who grew up in the Smokies—donate their time to the project.

“The week is extremely flexible. You can attend one lecture or take one hike, or you can participate day after day,” Downey said. “It’s a great way to introduce people to the outdoors.”

Here’s a sampling of program titles:

•    Bears 101—Their Lives and Interactions with Humans
•    Update on Elk in the Smokies
•    Identifying Local Birds  of Prey
•    How To Use a Map and Compass
•    Whose Scat Is That?
•    Steam-Stocked Trout Fishing
•    If You Were a Bear
•    Fly Casting
•    Bears We’ve  Met—Stories of Encounters
•    Returning the Osprey to Nest  in Tennessee
•    Six Months of Hummingbirds in Your Yard
•    Tales from “Lost” (finding lost hikers)
•    Hypothermia—I’m Not Cold
•    Black  Bear Management in Tennessee
•    The Wolves of Bays  Mountain
•    Unusual Camping Tricks and Gizmos
•    Hiking Tips for the Whole Family
•    Wild Hog Biology

Wilderness Wildlife Week began 19 years ago as a half-day program on a January Saturday.  January hasn’t been the same since then in Pigeon Forge. The Southeast Tourism Society has chosen it 10 times as a Top 20 Event in the Southeast.

Wilderness Wildlife Week information, including a full list of programs and hikes, is available online at MyPigeonForge.com/wildlife or by calling toll-free to 1-800-WINTERFEST.