With bear season opening in just 5 days, safety for the radio-collared bears is foremost on our minds. A call today was to an area bear guide who had asked his hunters to spare June last year when he realized she had been attracted outside her territory to one of his baits. June ventured into that same area again just a couple weeks ago. Sue called the guide when June’s GPS locations today indicated she might again be heading toward his baits. He said he would watch for her and ask his hunters to spare her. Gaining and maintaining cooperation from area bear hunters is key to protection for these important research bears.
Today, Jim Stroner got pictures of the new radio-collar we put on Shirley complete with very bright indestructible pieces of pink plastic that stick up from the top of the collar. At the same time he captured what bears do on hot days. The pictures show Shirley and her cousin Jim, both yearlings, swimming, resting, and playing in a pond.
All the GPSed bears are safe at this moment, so we took the opportunity to work on a paper for publication and the report due September 1 to Chase Community Giving. Writing that report brought a wave of gratitude to all of you for the huge effort you made to secure the $100,000 from Chase last year.
Again, you registered more votes for Soudan Underground Mine State Park at http://m.livepositively.com/park_details.jsp?parkId=556 than any other park, outvoting the number one park 47,160 to 45,061 with 10 days to go. We hope a lot of people are watching your demonstration of desire to help the area where the research bears live and that they will spare the radio-collared bears that keep us going.
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center