Jasper Peak view - July 28, 2012Except for giving Oliana her medicine, the main focus again today was working with the Speakers Bureau for education outreach. Trish Kirk is leading the group and has put in a tremendous number of volunteer hours to get it off the ground. We’re excited about the accurate information that will be presented in the fast-moving PowerPoint presentation being developed for the speakers. This growing group of speakers can make a difference.
Jasper Peak transition forest - July 28, 2012In addition, a couple photos we snapped of the forest in early morning light typify the local “transition” forest that includes components of the coniferous forest to the north and the deciduous forest to the south. These two major forests overlap here, creating an unusually high diversity of habitats. As a result, the local Superior National Forest has a higher diversity of breeding bird species than any other national forest.
The beauty of the vast forest is astounding. It is one of the features of this area we want to emphasize in the new Hope Education Building exhibits. The new exhibits will show the world of the bears in northeastern Minnesota—the animals they interact with and the habitats where the interactions happen. The new exhibits will provide a broader view of black bear life here than we could squeeze into the current building and will show the ecological values of the many habitats that have developed in this area since the glaciers retreated.
Inside the archway leading into the new building, we plan to have a plaque showing Hope, telling what she has done for bear education, and what her name stands for:
Hope for the future of bears worldwide
Opportunity for education
Progress in replacing myths with scientific facts
Education.
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center