When you’re caring for more than a dozen orphaned bear cubs at a time, clean water isn’t just important, it’s essential. That’s why Appalachian Bear Rescue in Townsend, Tennessee recently received a significant upgrade to their water treatment systems, thanks to a partnership with Advanced Water Systems and EcoWater.
A Mission Built on Care
For nearly 30 years, Appalachian Bear Rescue has been rehabilitating orphaned and injured black bear cubs with one goal in mind: returning healthy bears to the wild. Since 1996, the nonprofit organization has cared for over 400 bear cubs and yearlings, operating almost entirely on donor funding and gift shop sales.
“We want our bears to be the best, healthiest bears they can be when we release them from this facility,” said Greg Grieco, interim executive director at Appalachian Bear Rescue. “And water is obviously one of the most important factors for making sure animals are healthy.”
The Water Challenge
Running a bear rehabilitation facility requires enormous amounts of water daily. Between cleaning pens and rooms, doing laundry, providing drinking water and refreshing pools and tubs for the bears, the facility’s water demands are substantial. The challenge is compounded by the fact that staff can only access bear enclosures for cleaning when the animals aren’t present.
Last year, the facility faced a health scare when some bears developed disease symptoms. While the source remained uncertain, it highlighted the critical need for water quality improvements.
A Community Solution
Enter Garry Crain of Advanced Water Systems in Maryville, who had been servicing the facility’s water systems for 14 years. Recognizing both the facility’s growth and its need for upgraded equipment, Crain nominated Appalachian Bear Rescue for EcoWater’s 100 for 100 program — an initiative among EcoWater dealers that provides complimentary water treatment systems to worthy organizations and families.
The result? Two industrial-level water treatment systems designed to handle the facility’s daily water usage, complete with chlorination capabilities.
“We’re not chlorinating at a real high level,” said Steve Wilson from EcoWater. “We just want a therapeutic dose that every time they add water or empty and refill, they get just enough to make sure nothing [bacterial] starts.”
More Than Just Equipment
For Preston Short from EcoWater, the Dealer 100 for 100 program represents something special. “To see the eyes of not only residential customers receive a new unit or better quality water, but a place like this, who never would have thought that they would actually get a company who would come in…and replace all the equipment they have and now they don’t have to worry about that for years to come,” he said.
Crain sees the donation as benefiting the entire region. “Bears are so important around here, so we feel like this is doing a great part to help the whole community and the whole bear community up here,” he said.
For Grieco and the team at Appalachian Bear Rescue, the new systems provide both practical benefits and peace of mind. “We’re getting two industrial level water softener systems that are going to last for decades on end and give us not only the cleanest water we can have, but peace of mind too,” he said.
As the facility continues its mission of returning healthy bears to the Smoky Mountains, they’ll do so knowing that one of the most fundamental elements of animal care — clean, safe water — is now secured for years to come.