One-eyed Jack is BACKJack arrived last night about 9 PM and again the same time tonight. I am very glad this special 15-20-year-old bear made it through another hunting season. He is about as trusting as a bear can be, but only at community feeding sites. We’ve never heard of him being seen out in the woods or at a hunter’s bait. He has never worn a collar, so it is not that a hunter has spared him. He is the antithesis of the idea that a bear that loses its fear of people is more likely to attack. He is the most trusting and the least likely to attack a person. He is, though, the bear that attacked Lumpy over a female in the famous fighting scene. Tonight, he was approached in a threatening way by big Loppy but ignored him. Jack is used to people feeding him on the deck, but we have never heard of him being on anyone else’s deck. Bears are smarter than people give them credit for.
Keeping with tradition (from 2011)Another bear we’re glad to see is Pete, June’s 10-year-old son. Pete grew up learning to trust as Sue walked with him as a cub and a yearling with June. He learned to ignore Sue and go about foraging. As a 2-year-old, Pete co-starred in the video of him mating with his aunt Juliet back in 2007. Pete has the same story as Jack. He has had every opportunity to get to know a couple researchers and the people who have community feeding sites, but we don’t know of him ever being the source of a nuisance bear complaint, 
Good to see Jack the bearapproaching people for food, or whatever else the DNR is trying to allege these bears do. He is seldom seen except when he appears at a community feeding site.
Lily’s cubs were captured by a trail cam at a feeding site some days ago.
Ted - handsome as ever - July 24, 2015At the Bear Center, a Lily Fan volunteer got good pictures of Ted on his preaching log.
In the mail, a letter from a top biophysicist who made one of the new exhibits said how the addition of the Northwoods Ecology Hall to the NABC provides “highly accurate scientific exhibits and information for students of higher learning and members of the public.” It spoke of the North American Bear Center having “international respect” and how “Minnesota’s citizens can be very proud of its sterling status.”
Ted at the log- July 24, 2015I would add that Lily Fans can be proud of their contributions to it and the work is still in progress.
Yesterday we added four members to the WRI board to aid with 
Lily's cubs - July 22, 2015sustainability, publishing, management, and treasurer responsibilities. Alphabetically, they are Gordon Burghardt, Bill Rice, Peggy Stubbs, and Judy Thon.
The Ely Echo published a nice article about the Northwoods Ecology Hall's Grand Opening. Click here to view PDF.
Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center
All photos taken today unless otherwise noted.