Driveway Thank you for all you did yesterday for bear education. Many people worked hard to make the day a success, but it is Lily Fans that truly make it a success. I’m still waiting for final numbers, but I believe we had more donors than any organization in our “medium” GiveMN group.
The snow from yesterday became the first snow of this warm fall to stick. Trygg Road is down to one lane with the heavy snow on the bushes. The driveway has a new look compared to October 10.
I usually don’t get involved in state or province bear management issues. Where I can be most effective for bears is showing what they are really like—education. But it is wrong to hunt black bears in spring when orphaned cubs are doomed to die. Their deaths are not fair chase or quick kills. 
Driveway on October 10, 2015I can’t think of another species that is hunted at a time of year when the young are totally dependent. Why are black bears disrespected like that. Is it a carryover from the old varmint mentality that I work to overcome? So 16 years ago, I helped end Ontario’s spring bear hunt with this affidavit http://www.bearstudy.org/website/images /stories/images/Updates_2015/Affidavit.pdf Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources biologist Ken Morrison estimated that a spring hunt orphaned 274 cubs. Now Ontario is experimenting with bringing back the spring hunt. They had spring hunts in limited areas the last two years. I was happy to see that the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario dared to write a report telling it like it is http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/sheryl-fink/ ontario-spring-bear-hunt_b_8472788.html
Trygg RoadOut of the blue today, a heart surgeon from California called to talk about a relatively new area of medical research on Endogenous Cannabinoid Receptors in the brain and the possibility that Receptors CB-1 and CB-2 are involved in black bear hibernation. CB-1 is involved in glucose metabolism, and CB-2 is involved in fat metabolism. He wondered if I might have blood glucose data from hibernating bears. I do from my old study back in the 1970’s—from hibernating bears and active summer bears. I’ll send him the data. 
Thank you!I have the data thanks to having been able to work and co-author papers with wonderful Dr. Ulysses S. Seal, a top physiology researcher at the Veteran’s Administration Hospital at Fort Snelling in the Twin Cities. Many researchers remember Uly Seal fondly and respectfully.
Thank you again for GiveMN.
Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center