Jewel and her three yearlingsThe day started great with a visit from Jewel (165.5 pounds) and her 3 yearlings, Mikah (F), Nate (M) and Scott (M). Wonderful to see them and know they all made it through the fall and winter.
Martyn, Lynn and ScottNext Martyn Stewart and his wife and assistant went to the North American Bear Center and met with Scott Edgett and Judy Thon to put together a plan for nature sounds for the Northwoods Ecology Hall that is beyond what we dreamed. No wonder. Martyn is one of the top wildlife sound men in the world. He wants the Northwoods Ecology Hall to be everything it should be, and he is willing to contribute sounds, time, and expert technical advice to achieve that.
Terrariums in placeAt the Bear Center, we saw that Scott, Judy Thon, and Glenn somehow lifted the heavy terrariums into place.
Jewel and her yearlings on the scaleOn the way back to the WRI, we noticed that a major spring bear food is emerging—large-leafed aster (Aster macrophyllus). The emergence of that food tends to mark the beginning of bears roaming, which they are doing from the sightings reported to us lately.
Herring Gull with dark spotThe photo of the herring gull shows the distinctive bill that identifies the tamest of the 3 gulls that visit WRI. This one has a dark spot on the lower bill in addition to the usual pink spot.
Jewel and yearlingIn the contest for the title of Best Town, with an hour and a half of voting to go, Lily Fans have Ely on its way to winning the first round by a score of Ely 12,538 to Saugutuck, Michigan’s 11,597 at http://www.outsideonline.com/1972941/best-towns-2015. Story on twincities.com here: http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_28044456/ best-town-ever-ely-rochester-running. Way to go! If we just can hang on for the next hour and a half, our next opponent is Spearfish, SD, which is beating Indianapolis, IN by a score of 13,005 to 7,113.
Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center
All photos taken today unless otherwise noted.