The biggest mover from noon yesterday until 9 AM today was Lily and her family—4.25 miles. Could Faith keep up? We checked a little after 9 AM and saw Faith bouncing along with energy and a milk mustache. We tried to radio-collar Hope, but she calmly and deftly parried every attempt. We settled for a heart rate from the normally untouchable one—120/minute.
A video from today entitled "Faith Goes Wild" will be posted this evening to http://www.youtube.com/user/bearstudy#g/u.
Jo and her cub found a place they apparently like. They moved there after the encounter with Juliet, arriving just before 9 PM two nights ago. Since then, they’ve remained along a ridge top a quarter mile long. The area is accessible only by canoeing or bushwhacking farther than is feasible, so we won’t know what they like about the spot. Some things remain mysteries for awhile, which is why we are still learning new things.
June left the clover patch, same as Lily did, and led her two cubs 0.8 mile back to where they had been before these past days.
Family break-ups are starting. Juliet was with her cubs at 10:30 AM on Tuesday, May 24, but was with a male last evening about 9:45 PM (May 25). We were glad we’d radio-collared her yearling daughters Sharon and Shirley. A research goal as these daughters grow up is to learn the relationships between them and their mother. A check showed Sharon to be exactly 3 miles west of Juliet. Shirley was in the same direction but three-quarters of a mile away from Sharon. These daughters will likely remain within Juliet’s territory and carve out territories of their own like Lily is doing with June. Boy Named Sue will likely disperse far away this year or next, which is why we didn’t radio-collar him.
RC and her yearlings were together again last night at 7 PM, but we saw one of the yearlings alone this morning about 9:30 AM. Will one of the old males we haven’t seen yet this spring emerge as RC’s suitor?
Cool springs that delay blossoming can reduce the chances of blossoms getting killed in a late frost. Juneberries and pincherries are in full blossom. The radio says we will have unseasonably cold weather tonight in the mid-20’s. Tonight could be a crucial night for bear food. A disadvantage of cool springs is that it delays ant reproduction. Ant larvae and pupae are favorite foods when they are available. Cool springs may also delay maturation of emerging greens thus prolonging their period of digestibility.
Today is a beautiful spring day. Blue sky, little wind, and spring leaves that have enlarged and become a medley of yellowish-greens and darker greens that are nearly as beautiful as fall. The last trees of spring are finally opening their leaf-buds—big-toothed aspen and black ash. Soon, all the leaves will darken into shades of green, and it will look like summer. One cluster of cherry blossoms held a bee that was strangely immobile. It was in the clutches of the camouflaged crab spider that can be seen with a second look.
What a surprise to wake up to in the morning! Somehow, you found an additional thousand votes to put the International Wolf Center into the $40,000 bracket instead of the $20,000 bracket. This, together with the $25,000 you voted previously, means $65,000 of help to the Wolf Center from Chase Community Giving, thanks to you. Considering the big organizations we were up against, we did very well. Profuse thank you’s are coming in from Wolf Center administrators to all of you. They know what kind of effort this took.
If you haven’t already signed the petition to make the black bear Minnesota’s state mammal, the petition is at http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/BlackBear-MNState-Mammal/.
If you haven’t left a comment for protection of radio-collared bears on T. R.’s Facebook page, it is at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Protect-Minnesotas-Research-Bears/160331730697185. T. R. will pass your comments to officials.
Minnesota residents who would like to get their legislator on board for the next legislative session almost a year away can find your local legislators at http://www.gis.leg.mn/OpenLayers/districts/.
This just in: The current plan is for all three episodes of "My Bear Family" (new name) to air on Nat Geo Wild Channel at 8pm EST on Wed, June 8th. This could change but is most likely the way it will premiere. Please let the Lilypadders know. Warm regards, Ted” (the producer from the BBC).
Thank you for all you are doing.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center