Today was a day of frustrations for Lynn. Yesterday he reached the storage limit on his email server so today he enlisted a technician to help resolve the problem. Those of us dependant on the nearly instantaneous ebb and flow of information via email can identify with his frustration! Add to that the fact Lynn is feeling under the weather and went home early to crawl into bed. And to top it off, Sue is traveling to visit family in hilly New England where cell coverage can be spotty, so she has not been the promised ‘just a phone call away.’ Others have stepped in to fill the gaps and transfer information to ensure this update gets posted.
The bright spot today was some exciting news from the North American Bear Center!
A few months ago, Jason Sawyer came up with the idea of putting a video camera in Ted and Lucky's den. He researched equipment needs and consulted with Graham Wallington, Bill Powers, and Doug Hajicek—some of the technical crew working on the Lily and Hope den cam—before ordering the equipment. Today, with help from Donna Andrews and John Leonard, Jason installed the camera in the backside of Ted and Lucky's den.
Everything went well and soon the Ted and Lucky den cam will be broadcast live over the Internet as well as at the Bear Center for visitors to see. We are currently consulting with possible hosts for live transmissions and will let you know as soon as we have more information.
Donna Andrews recorded a quick snippet of video off of the computer monitor with her point and shoot camera. Here is the link to show you the view you will soon be getting http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=148158965233990. The video shows Ted and Lucky moving around because, in order to keep them from licking the lens, they were given new leaves and bedding material to keep them occupied during the installation.
The snows and warmer temps (20 F) of yesterday have ended. It’s now back to cold (0 F) and sunny.
More good news
The North American Bear Center and the International Wolf Center had jointly applied for a $10,000 matching grant to help pay for advertising. Today we found out we were approved! More details tomorrow!
Thank you once again for your all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center