Lily at entrance of den April 15, 2007Last night, the Bear Facts and Fun Team posted another of their great in-depth pieces. This one is about what it takes to create the Den Cams. The link to it is http://tinyurl.com/BFF-Den-Cams. The technology is improving, and the Den Cam Technology Team is keeping us on the cutting edge. We can’t wait to begin watching the higher resolution pictures we anticipate for this winter. The DNR has given permission, the cameras have been ordered, and we are just waiting for the cameras and upgraded equipment to arrive and be tested in-house before installing them in the field.
Lily with first Den Cam - 2010Another thing we are thankful for is the bears that make this possible. Tolerant bears like Lily and a few others in this study are rare. We know of others who have tried to establish Den Cams in wild dens only to have the bears vacate the dens after recovering from being tranquilized. We wish long lives to the bears that make this ground-breaking research possible. We are overjoyed that we can learn about the least studied half of black bear life and that schools and Lily Fans around the world can share the adventure.
Lily - July 30, 2012Today we were reminded that some schools block both YouTube and Ustream due to unsavory content. We know of no schools that block WildEarth so we will use the WildEarth code to broadcast live Den Cam footage from bear.org. Unfortunately we have been posting choice clips of the den cam footage and our other videos to YouTube. We are looking for another way to share these videos so all schools can see the videos we post.
The photos tonight show: (1) little Lily at about 3 months of age at the entrance of the den where she was born to June bear in 2007, (2) 3-year-old Lily and her first Den Cam where she gave birth to Hope back in 2010, and (3) 5-year-old Lily on July 30, 2012, after this past mating season when she likely became pregnant. This winter (2013) we look forward to seeing how this experienced 6-year-old mother cares for multiple cubs in the den.
This coming winter will make 4 years of recording data, thanks to the help of Lily Fan Den Watchers who each record minute by minute standardized data for an hour a day. Altogether, the Den Watchers work on a schedule that covers the bears 24/7. The data recording is coordinated by Dr. Janet Dalton and Biologist Lynne Cann. Four years of comparative data will make a revealing scientific paper. Lily and her family have already revolutionized our knowledge of den activities. The many ways that Lily Fans have helped have made this research and education opportunity far more than would have been possible otherwise. Together, we all have a lot to be proud of.
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center