Fern heads for the entrance - Jan 2, 2013On this relatively warm day, we saw on Lily the Black Bear’s Facebook page that Jewel was quite active and Fern went to the den entrance to eat snow today. We missed that. When we looked just now, all three were sound asleep with Jewel breathing a steady 3.1 breaths per minute. A video of their antics today is posted at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCia15_2N7Q
In Lily’s den, the pulsing static is audible if you turn the sound way up, but the sound is clear enough to easily hear Lily snoring! We don’t hear snoring that much. The pulsing static sounds a little like a cub nursing, so Den-watchers will have to be careful once the cubs are born. The sound is immensely better than the terrible hum that drowned out most sounds the first winter. The Technology Team did what we think is an awesome job. They were gearing up to put the same equipment in we had last year. Then, with only a month to go, we discovered that 4G was available. They went into gear buying all new upgraded equipment, making new arrangements with Verizon, and finding that there were many little problems to overcome. They still got things going earlier than ever before. Way to go Team.
Thank you for your continued donations as part of the New Year’s Calendar Offering at http://www.bear.org/website/gift-shop.html. Anyone getting a new membership, renewing a membership, or making a donation of $25 or more will receive a signed (by us) calendar bundle. “Bundle” means both the Ted, Lucky, and Honey calendar and the gorgeous big informative Research Bear “Shadow’s Clan” calendar.
The Volunteer Program is growing! The Volunteer Web Page at www.bear.org/website/volunteer.html gives details and points you to Volunteer Applications to become part of it. The volunteers are divided up into 13 teams that give broad opportunities to use a variety of skills. Over 90 percent of the volunteers are virtual rather than on-site and are working together around the world. Without volunteers, we could not grow and spread the word about bears nearly as fast.
Volunteers are needed as Den-Watcher Data Recorders. A few more mods are needed as well. The Speakers Bureau has grown to 41 speakers as they wait for Sue and me to do our part. We wish there were more hours in the day.
A Lily Fan aptly said, “Volunteers are a blessing to the bears.”
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center