Moose cow - August 2, 2012As I began writing this, I heard footsteps on the front deck of the WRI Cabin. I went to see if the bear was on the scale. He was—215 pounds. Still coming here on November 12 at 6:30 PM (dark). I turned on the inside light so he’d for sure see me in the window. He looked but didn’t care. He is familiar. I went out like last time to see how he would respond to “It’s me, bear.” Gone again. But this time there are tracks in an inch of snow. I’d like to backtrack him, possibly to a den or at least to see what he’s been doing up so late in the year. Tomorrow is a big day, as you know, but the tracks should keep for another day in the cold that’s supposed to be with us awhile. Will have to wear orange.
Meanwhile, Sue was cataloguing video from 2007 and came across a scene to share https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ga-Jm7H9mBY. It’s June playing with little Bud who seemed the odd man out among her siblings Cal and Lily. Bud became mother June’s play partner. It looks rough, but Bud comes back for more. Actually, it could have been that Bud was June’s favorite play partner and Lily and Cal were the odd couple out. However it was, June wanted to play with Bud and paid less attention to Lily and Cal as you can see. Rough play—but apparently no harm—just like we saw in the den when Lily played rough with Hope, Faith, and Jason.
At the Bear Center, Honey is back to favoring her old wooden window den of last year. Two mornings in a row we found her there, snuggled in the straw.
For the Northwoods Ecology Hall, I called an old friend and fellow moose researcher, Dr. Peter Jordan, from back in the 1970’s to seek his help on the moose exhibit. He was a professor in the Wildlife Department at the University of Minnesota. Actually, it was with him on Isle Royale back in 1976 that I began an interest in moose and ended up taking my U.S. Forest Service deer-walking team there to walk with moose in 1978 as part of a broader study of the prey of the timber wolf. Good memories. Peter and I shared some stories today. He very much wants to help with the moose exhibit.
Fittingly, Moe was up with his video camera and had Judy Thon and I give a quick tour of the Northwoods Ecology Hall in its present state https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFB-ddcrzCE. The main focus of our work together is completing the Northwoods Ecology Hall, the Hope Learning Center, the Broadcast Room, and cubicles for interns and grad students, which we feel are big steps for advancing education. For us, that’s what GiveMN Give to the Max Day is about tomorrow.
Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center.