View of Woods LakeThis evening when the setting sun lit up the birches outside the window, I had to snap a picture. Beautiful scene—even though no bear has graced it for days. The two white pines to the left are sometimes climbed by them, especially by yearlings newly on their own, but the red pine between the birches rarely is climbed. It apparently doesn’t have the bark and branch structure they want.
Dot sniffs cub Lynn is holding - 2003The good memory is of a visit to Dot’s den in April 2003. An attorney/writer sent me one of those pictures today asking for permission to include it in his book to go with a chapter he wrote about the DNR’s treatment of me. Very supportive. I gave the go ahead and sent him a higher resolution version. The good memory was visiting her den several times hoping to see the newborn cubs and eventually crawling in with her to place a tiny camera underneath her. This was to assist a BBC crew that needed some footage in a den to be part of a film about bears elsewhere. Dot was calm with me beside her and even lifted her leg when I gently prodded with the camera so I could put it underneath her with the cubs. The crew left and I continued visiting to document growth and behaviors. One day, she left the den to evacuate her fecal plug that had developed during the winter. She went maybe 25 feet from the den and came back to find me holding her cub. She was not concerned. She didn’t think of me as a danger. 
Lynn sniffs Dot's cub - 2003We had a solid history. I had never betrayed her trust. As I held the little female, she sniffed it and looked at me. I too sniffed the cub, as is shown, marveling at the clean lack of smell of this animal that many people believe smell bad. Then I handed her the cub and watched them snuggle down in the den with the cub’s sister. Moments when the bears show trust and acceptance are not easily forgotten, which is a reason I was one of the people who felt a loss when Dot was killed last fall at the age of 13. Research bears that we get to know become more than a number, they are bears with personalities and histories—bears that share our memories of moments like this.
Regarding interns, we're excited to be greatly expanding our Bear Educator internship program. In the summer of 2015, we’d like to have at least three student interns who can commit 500 hours of on-site work at the NABC between May 16 and Sep 7, 2015. This is a unique opportunity for students majoring in biology, ecology, wildlife management, animal behavioral sciences, or a related field. They will gain up close and personal interaction with animals, staff, volunteers, and the public. Primary duties are to educate NABC visitors about the four ambassador bears as well as about wild black bear behavior . They will also perform all aspects of bear care. We provide a stipend to each intern. A full position description is at www.bear.org/website/volunteer.html. To obtain an application, please contact Terry and Myra at
Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center
All photos taken today unless otherwise noted.