Jewel's den - Oct 22, 2011
Jewel in den - Oct 22, 2011Lily and Faith are at the rock den and staying within 40 yards of it. They have begun to rake in bedding. Braveheart is showing similar short movements. We suspect she is at a den but we haven’t checked. Jo is at a possible den but still making trips up to a half mile away. Jewel is in the same den as last year. Her mother June holds the record for re-use by using one den 3 years in a row. In our 45 years of bear research, about 1 bear in 25 re-uses a den.
Victoria - Oct 22, 2011
Jo on potential den - Oct 22, 2011When we visited Jo to change her GPS batteries today, we caught her so relaxed she hardly would open her eyes for us as she lay on a couple down trees over a possible den. A common den type is under the trunks of fallen trees that are held off the ground a foot or two by the roots, as in the picture. We keep saying Jo is a sweetheart because she is.
Glenn and Nancy continue to look for Colleen and Cookie. They need to be found before the Hunters’ Jackpot drawing can be held. Due to the remoteness of their territories we may need to fly to search for them. As soon as they are found, the drawing can be held for the $5,000 offered by an anonymous group. Although we found Donna’s empty collar during bear season, we do not believe she was killed by a hunter. We’re looking forward to seeing her next year. Her elusive absence at this time of year is not unusual for her.
Something was lost in the translation when we heard the name of the winner of the Black Bear Box drawing at the MEA Conference. It is not Karla Docham. It is Karla Gotham of Cyber Village School in St. Paul. The Bear Center will contact her Monday directly.
NABC Trail of Terror Goblins
NABC Trail of Terror TreesScary times at the North American Bear Center. Last night and tonight, scary creatures were lurking along the nature trail for the annual Halloween celebration for Ely’s young folk and their parents. The pictures tell the story.
Tomorrow is the annual free day at the North American Bear Center 10 AM to 5 PM. We expect it to be our biggest attendance of the year. We’re looking forward to it and wish the new waterfalls were working for it.
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center