Lily and her cubsCongratulations to Dr. Janet Dalton for being chosen as the new assistant bear curator at the Appalachian Bear Center. It’s hard to think of a better person. She loves bears and loves to learn and teach about them. She has been through two Black Bear Field Courses at the Wildlife Research Institute and the Bear Keeper Course at the North American Bear Center.
Lily and cubsIn 2010, Janet stepped forward and volunteered to organize the first team of Den Watchers to record standardized data 24/7. She teamed up with Lynne Cann that year and the two of them have worked to organize, coordinate, and train Den Watchers for four years now. 
Lily and cubsJanet has also served as one of the Den Watchers doing the recording. She is one of the Lily Fan Volunteers who has helped make big things happen to advance our knowledge of bears. During these four Den Cam years, Janet completed her doctorate in education and continues to serve as principal of Lincoln Heights Elementary School in Morristown, TN.
For more on volunteering, go to www.bear.org, click on the volunteer tab, and check it out.
Lily cubs - male back, female front
Lily and cubsThere was good action in Lily’s den today. She blocked the camera when she reached out past it to eat ice and hard crunchy snow. Then she raked more chips into her bed and dug around in the bed. Her cubs got bounced around as she pushed bedding toward and under them as they quietly watched. Lily repeatedly dug chips out of one hole very near their bed. The male cub was perched precariously on the edge of that hole and finally slipped partway in. Lily drew him back into the bed using her muzzle and paw. Soon both cubs were nursing contentedly.
Cub crawls over LilyA video of Lily and cubs from yesterday is posted at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrFFpRqXGIo and one from today is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3_uW7xk-8I.
Both bear.org and bearstudy.org were down for a couple hours early this morning. That’s why some folks had problems getting to last night’s update. If you were one of them, you can read that update at http://tinyurl.com/c9928he.
Today is the last chance to vote for Jim Stroner’s photo of Lily in this round of the ScienceFriday contest at http://promoshq.wildfireapp.com/website/6/contests/311854/voteable_entries/65495698.
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center
All photos taken today unless otherwise noted.