Exploring bear habitatNobody cared that it rained off and on. We managed to visit both Lily and June.
Lily's cub tree in clearcutLily was resting at the base of a lone white pine that had been spared in a clear-cut. Her cubs were resting 100 feet up. It felt good to Lynn to see that. Twenty years ago, Lynn had fought for white pines to be spared in clear-cuts, and Lily was taking advantage of the change in management that resulted. Twenty years ago, Lynn was also documenting the heavy use of clear-cuts by bears, which Lily demonstrated today.
Lily's face has shedLily’s has shed the long winter fur on her face and head, which now show the short, sleek fur of summer. The face is the first to shed. Long fur still covers most of her body.
Brown snakeOn the way to see June, member of the group saw a 4 by 8 foot sheet of plywood lying on the ground and said, “Hey, a snake board.” He was right. He lifted the board and we saw 3 garter snakes, 3 red-belly snakes, and a big ant colony with lots of pupae. The amount of pupae in the colony helps explain why bears have been hitting ant colonies like crazy lately. The 3 redbelly snakes were the first we’ve seen this year.
June was in an area with a lot of strawberries and raspberries.
Bull moose mountAt the Bear Center, the big moment was the arrival of the beautiful big bull moose mount donated by Mark Herbst and Diana Elias. It will be a centerpiece in the Northwoods Ecology Exhibit that will feature animals that share the northwoods with black bears.
Thanks to Lily Fans, the legal fund continues to grow on bearstudy.org.
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.