Lessons From the Forest “What Bears Have Taught and Continue Teaching Me.”

Our February speaker is Roger Trentham. Roger is from Cosby, Tennessee just outside of Gatlinburg. His residence is an amazing place in the spring with wildflowers. As the year evolves wildlife visits Roger’s residence. If you ever get a chance to visit his residence, you will want to stay forever as it is a wonderful location and next to the Great Smokies.

Roger Trentham is an eighth generation native of the Smoky Mountains. Having grown up in the Roaring Fork area of Gatlinburg, Roger spent many hours in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park from an early age. Taking up photography in his early twenties, Roger has explored and photographed the mountains in all their seasons and moods. Through leading workshops, camera club outings, and presentations and having his photographs featured in magazine articles, he is more than happy to showcase this beautiful part of the world.

Roger leads workshops and assists several nationally known photographers who visit the Smokies with their workshops. Several seek out Roger for information about the Smokies from wildflowers, waterfalls, wildlife, and places in the Smokies that most do not visit.

While Roger could present a program on several topics of photography for SANP, this month he is going to present a program about one of the favorite subjects in the Smokies. Roger will share his photos and information learned from studying black bears in the Smokies.

This is a program you do not want to miss as Roger can answer many of your questions about black bears in the Smokies. Black bears will be roaming in the Smokies very soon. A few black bears may be getting out now for a short exploration. Some may have already visited with Roger this year.

Join Roger for a photographic journey of discovery into the world of black bears. Learn what we think we know and what we certainly do not know about the complex relationships of black bears in the Smoky Mountains. Through personal observation and research conducted by others, Roger has learned that black bears do not lead solitary, independent lives as previously thought but lead lives intertwined as part of a vast network of related and unrelated black bears. What started as a photographic pursuit has become a learning experience for these incredibly complex creatures that must live in a world dominated by humans.

Pictures for this announcement were posted without permission. Since Roger will not let me have his house the least, I could do is borrow his photos without permission.

Please register for the meeting so we will have an idea of the number attending to make sure the room is arranged appropriately. 

See you at our February Club meeting. Remember to arrive early and socialize with other club members.

Dale Potter