BraveheartThe staff is proud of Holly and the progress she made today.
Holly had been out all night and may have had visits from Honey. This morning, the staff saw Honey coming from where Holly takes refuge. Honey is keeping an eye on the new female (Holly), but Holly is becoming more confident. She seems to know she can outrun and out-climb Honey and that she is safe in her refuge spot up the leaning deadfall. She is taking more chances by coming out in the open away from trees more often.
Holly in clover patchHolly came to the open viewing area 3 times today. She was watchful, but she explored opportunities. At one point, she seemed engrossed in batting at the waterfall stream. Maybe it reminded her of the stream from the hose in her pen when her water tub is being filled. She bites at the stream.
Holly on falls behind TedWe want Holly to know there is food and water in the viewing area. She found the food tray that is suspended by a rope from the new cedar tree in front of the viewing balcony. We can now start raising that up so visitors can see how bears climb trees. Holly searched about for scattered food, ignoring voices from the viewing balcony.
Lucky appeared and Holly ran for a tree. Lucky loped after her but wasn’t trying to get her. As happened a couple days ago, it looked like Lucky was hurrying to join her before she disappeared again.
Holly high in cedarHolly discovered the Lucky Tree, a big half-dead white pine that Lucky spent a lot of time in when he was a cub and still uses from time to time. She climbed up maybe 30 feet and then practiced some more. She also climbed a dead cedar next to the white pine. Is she just energetic or is she exploring the most promising refuge trees? To wild bears around here, white pines are the favorite for refuge.
Holly is doing great. We’re not worried about her with the other bears. Lucky has never shown any intent to hurt her. Ted mostly ignores her. And she can escape from Honey with little effort.
We look forward to what she shows us tomorrow.
Braveheart on scaleLynn fell and twisted his left leg at the hip. It should heal in a couple weeks. An hour later, as if to cheer him up, a favorite bear stopped by—Braveheart! Lynn didn’t see her fully at first and didn’t know who she was. But the bear seemed calm and unconcerned as Lynn approached her on the scale. Then Lynn saw the white lines on her chest. “Braveheart, it’s you!” he said, running his hand down her back to see her reaction (none) and to feel for engorged ticks (no ticks on the back but several small ones in her ears). Heart rate 84. Braveheart doesn’t have a radio-collar but has worn one for most of her 12 years. She should be pregnant, possibly by handsome Victor, so we hope she dens early in September to escape most of the hunting season. 
Inside the new buildingWe don’t know that Braveheart has ever been the subject of a complaint. We know she has been spending time in a new area four miles away, so we were happy to see her back. She ate very little and spent most of her time sniffing. Could she have been picking up the scent of her daughter Samantha and her 3 cubs?
Sue visited Jewel and gave her a new GPS unit, then later locked the keys in the vehicle she was using and had to call AAA. Not every day is perfect. As a silver lining, though, she got to check out Bear Head Lake State Park's new building that Lily Fans won $100,000 to help build. She overheard someone say “…the hundred thousand that they won…” letting us know that people do know what Lily Fans did.
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.