Sharon in the rain - May 28, 2012We flew this afternoon and quickly located Sharon’s radio-signal over 5 miles outside her usual area, just like Lily was a few days ago.
Lynn Rogers and Bud Van Deusen of VanAir prepare for the flight - May 28, 2012We geared up and drove to the area with two goals—to see if she is with a male and to replace her old radio-collar with a bigger one that includes a GPS unit so we can track her on the computer. To see if she was with a male, one person tried homing in on her radio signal in stealth mode. That means moving very slowly through the forest in stocking feet to feel any sticks before putting weight on the foot and breaking them. It also means quietly moving branches by hand so they don’t slide across fabric. Not a glimpse.
Antenna mounted on wing strut - May 28, 2012Next, we tried, “It’s me, bear” to see if Sharon would hold and let us change her radio-collar even though our approach would likely scare away any male that might be with her. Along the way on that attempt, a big thunderstorm boomed through along with high winds and a soaking downpour. We sought shelter under some balsam trees. In five minutes, the storm passed and the wind subsided so we continued. Soon, we caught sight of Sharon watching us approach. We changed her radio-collar and watched to see if she looked around for a departed male. She gave no indication that she was with a male. The mystery of the big males continues.
Forest after rain - May 28, 2012As we drove back, content that we had found Sharon and changed her collar, the sun broke through the clouds and lit up the woods.
One final video of Jewel and her cubs from May 17 has been posted at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1Rz0-e52gw.
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center