Ursula peers from den - Sept 16, 2012Today is the first anniversary of Hope’s death—a milestone in the healing process. In the words of one Lily Fan “Thank you for opening our eyes, changing our minds and touching our hearts. Thank you for making us feel deep emotions.” Hope touched many lives and her influence will continue through the dedication of Lily Fans and the Hope Learning Center. For newcomers unfamiliar with the rich story of Hope’s short life, a blog post entitled ‘Remembering Hope’ by Al B. is posted at http://hopetheblackbear.blogspot.com/.
Ursula - Sept 16, 2012Today, we homed in on Ursula and found her in a nice root mound den. When she came out to see us, we took her colorful ribbons off and replaced her GPS batteries. If she was denned, why did we bother to change her GPS batteries?
This was only the second time we've visited Ursula at a den. At her den two years ago, we changed her big GPS collar for a smaller one. We swapped the collars with no issues. However, as soon as we finished, she bolted away and never returned. Without a GPS collar, we were unable to monitor her movements. She eventually settled into another den 0.6 miles away.
Will she abandon this den as well? We're waiting to see. This past summer we joined her in the woods a few times to change her GPS unit batteries, so she’s more used to being approached. So far, she has moved only 50 yards away. This is encouraging. Hopefully, we’ll see her move back to the den soon.
Ursula's den - Sept 16, 2012The bear hunt is winding down. Today we said “Good-bye” to most of the volunteers who came to help during the first two weeks of the hunt. We wish them safe travels as they head home to resume their active lives. We are very thankful for the time they gave, the work they did, and the laughs we all shared. Fittingly, the last task they assisted us with was the assembly, inspection, and disassembly of the den sheds in preparation for this winter’s den cam(s).
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center