Great Smoky Mountains National Park is seeking information to help identify the party responsible for vandalizing the Foothills Parkway west entrance sign near the Highway 321 intersection in Walland between September18-19, 2020.

About 7:45 a.m. Saturday, September 19, 2020, visitors reported seeing a black bear skin with head and a cardboard sign attached to the entrance sign. The cardboard sign read “from here to the lake black lives don’t matter.”

“We encourage anyone with information to reach out to us as we continue to investigate possible motives for this incident,” Chief Ranger Lisa Hendy said. “We take vandalism incidents seriously in the park, and this particular incident is particularly egregious. It is for this reason we are offering a reward for information.”

Investigators are looking for additional information from anyone who may have observed activity leading to the vandalism. Though respondents may remain anonymous, a reward is offered for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of those responsible. Anyone with tips is asked to call investigators at 888-653-0009.