LilyResearch Assistants Mike and Lorie did it again. It turned out to be a very long walk, but they managed to swap out GPS units for Lily before they had to end this week’s work to take care of other duties. Bec arrives to help tomorrow and Jim will join her this weekend. We are fortunate.
We are also fortunate that Charlie Russell is coming to visit us in a few days and will be making one of his spectacular public presentations at Vermilion Community College (with questions and answers plus mingling afterward) at 7 PM on Friday June 28. Pictures of his life with bears are at https://www.facebook.com/CharlieRussell50YearsLivingWithTheGreatBears.
Mike clears the roadWe are thankful for the support we are seeing for the Bears Birthday Fundraiser that Lily Fans created at https://www.facebook.com/events/478263508910719/. Your donations have now exceeded $2,000! Thank you. You will be putting us through our paces at the Birthday Party for the Bears on Saturday at 1 PM CT, making Judy Thon walk the plank (so to speak) as she tries to walk the logs over the pond across and back without falling in. We like Judy and don’t know which way we want to bet on that one. Also there will be presents for the bears scattered in that area.
One of the incentives the staff is excited about is the tug-of-war between WRI and NABC staff in the bear enclosure. We’re worried here at the WRI end, because we think NABC has us outnumbered and we hear they plan to cheat. Those who can’t make the party can check for fairness on the Pond Cam. Sounds like fun. More details as we hear them.
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.