As Lynn and I hiked in to Lily yesterday morning, we looked up at towering aspens and noticed buds swelling and male catkins beginning to develop. Lily moved to that same area later in the day. I remembered walking with June there back in 2007, so I checked our files. The GPS reading I took at 8:30 AM on April 24, 2007 as I began my walk with June and her 3 cubs is nearly identical to Lily’s current location. Lily was one of those cubs. My walk that day with June began at a red pine bed tree, and Lily is likely at the same bed tree with her own cubs, Hope and Faith. A bed tree only 150 feet from where Lily abandoned Hope when June arrived on the scene on May 31, 2010. An area rich in the history of this bear family.
What do I remember from that day with June, and how can that help us understand what Lily and her family might be up to today? June had led her cubs away from the den on April 16, yet she was still licking them to stimulate urination and defecation on April 24. The cubs were having a grand time running and playing with each other. June would grab one as it ran by and flip it over to lick—with the cub squirming to get away. One of the cubs defecated on its own that day, so the ‘butt-licking’ phase of June’s cub care was nearly over. The cub’s scat contained a few aspen buds and various bits of debris. Cubs at this age are still dependent on their mother’s milk but sample many things as they explore—much of which passes undigested.
Speaking of scat… near June’s bed tree were several piles of leaf litter each covering a large scat. In general, bears do not cover their scats, but this showed us that under some circumstances June does. I have since found covered scats near her den in the fall.
This area is also where Lily fell from a tree as a cub. When June climbed high in an aspen to eat buds, the cubs followed with Lily in the lead. When the rough bark turned smooth high in the tree, Lily fell to the ground. I gasped. She just shook herself, hesitated briefly, and climbed again. Two days later, June climbed an even taller aspen tree to feed on male catkins, as can be seen at the start of the video posted at http://www.bear.org/website/bear-pages/black-bear/foraging-a-foods/82-vegetation-the-dietary-mainstay.html. Fortunately the cubs chose to climb a more secure tree nearby rather than follow her.
The same day June fed on the male aspen catkins she also fed on snowfleas. Yesterday, Lily and Hope were feeding on snowfleas. It’s that time of year. A video of yesterday’s feeding is posted at http://ww
The red pine bed tree where we believe Lily is today is only 150 feet from the aspen where Lily abandoned Hope when June arrived on the scene—a difficult and memorable time for us all. Yes, an area rich in history.
Team Bear is honored to present for auction this beautiful print: “Lily and Hope”, Black Bears by Carol Decker. The winner will receive the #1 print of 350 limited edition prints. Please see this link to participate http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=20568&uid=263755115498. If you do not have a Facebook account you may still view this link and participate by sending your bids via e-mail to
The Educational Outreach Team has written a Service Learning Project to help Dana Coleman’s first grade class in their quest to have the American black bear named Minnesota’s state mammal. This is an amazing opportunity for students across Minnesota to learn about their state government. The link to the class’s petition is http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/BlackBear-MNState-Mammal/.
The International Wolf Center is holding second place in the Chase Community Giving voting contest. Wolf Center administrators appreciate your help! Here’s how to vote for the International Wolf Center on Chase. First, go to this link http://www.facebook.com/ChaseCommunityGiving and click “Like.” Then go to this link http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/411543539-international and register your vote for the International Wolf Center. Each of us gets only one vote through May 4.
In the Readers Digest contest to win money for Ely, you have Ely solidly in 6th place. That means we’re in the money. To vote 10 times in a row each day, the link is http://wehearyouamerica.readersdigest.com/town.jsp?town=ELY&state=MN. This contest runs through May 16.
Thank you for all you do.
Lynn and Donna Rogers are traveling to spend Easter with family. Some of you may have suspected Lynn was away when the update turned to ‘scat talk!’
—Sue Mansfield, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center