Hope ventures out
March 21, 2010 – 8:50 PM CDT
This morning, Lily pulled the microphone into the den. That brought Lynn on the run to rescue the borrowed $5,000 mic. In his hurry, and he arrived at the den with his unfamiliar Sunday-go-to-meeting black coat instead of his usual green fleece. Even though Lily heard his voice, she blew when he appeared. She quickly calmed down when he extended a hand with grapes, a friendly gesture. She exited and walked past Lynn as he stroked her back. She didn’t flinch, showing her calm recognition by then. It was no problem to retrieve the mic and secure it a couple feet farther from the den. However, she did get the usual long nose a couple times as he pulled it out. We don’t know why she is so easily apprehensive about the tubes. She then sniffed the tube and was okay.
A few days ago some folks questioned Hope’s progress—worried that she was still so uncoordinated. About 1 PM today she showed us she has the ‘walking thing’ figured out when she left the den to join Lily who was raking nearby. About 40 minutes later, Lily rushed back into the den, turned towards the entrance and blew. Something had frightened her, and Hope was still outside possibly in danger. Lily rushed back out and we heard a dog barking close to the den. We worried for Hope. Sue rushed over to and found Lily and Hope peacefully bedded 10 feet from 
the den. Hope was tucked far under Lily and nursing contentedly. Lily was relaxed and showed no anxiety from their recent encounter with the dog. Nearly 5 hours later, they re-entered the den. The neighbor has agreed to keep his dogs penned for the next few weeks while Hope is at this vulnerable stage. Soon she will be able to run and climb a tree—her most important survival skill.
Lily raked more bedding into the den, which might be a sign she will stay awhile. We don’t know. We have never seen a year like this. We haven’t heard official reports, but Lynn doesn’t remember a March this warm in his 41 years here. Aspen catkins and willow catkins are bursting. Both are bear foods we don’t expect until mid-April. We wish there was a second camera outside the den for all our sakes.
Today, Lynn called his old friend John Rogers (no relation) who runs Katmai Coastal Bear Tours in Alaska. John would like to donate to the Bear Center and has made an unbelievable offer. He said that, if 6-8 people sign up for a 6-day bear adventure August 16-21 at the usual price of $5,450 per person, he would split the profit with the Bear Center. This trip is in the highly sought after salmon spawning season and could raise nearly $20,000 for the Bear Center.
John is a soft-spoken sweetie everyone immediately likes, and he is tireless in making the trips all they can be. The guide for August 16-19 will be Brad Josephs, one of the most knowledgeable bear guides in the business. Brad is comfortable with the bears after years of reading them and leading groups. He leads safe trips, is not up-tight, and lets people see these huge brown bears like most people wouldn’t believe. John’s big boat provides the lodging and food for the trip, and he moves to several locations during a trip, giving a variety of on-shore experiences. The last two days of the trip, Brad will be replaced by John Mitchell, a guide with long bear experience and an expert on local birds and botany. Between these two guides, I can’t think of a better way to see a lot of brown bears in a variety of settings and become immersed in their world.
Watching these big, gentle bruisers captivates anyone who comes. It is hard to drag people back to the boat for lunch and supper—which says a lot about the bears because John hires cooks that prepare top gourmet meals. The locations John visits are the locations where many of the brown/grizzly bear documentaries are made because they are scenic, teeming with wildlife, and have bears that basically ignore people and go about their business of fishing, clamming, grazing, playing, nursing cubs, and keeping a wary eye out for each other. The bears pay far more attention to other bears than to the inconsequential people. Lynn has led many trips there and has had many bears pass within a few feet of him with hardly a glance. The bears do what they have been doing there for thousands of years. They are protected in Katmai National Park. Lynn says, “For the first five minutes, people are wary. Then they worry that they will disturb the bears.” The guides know how to move among the bears without disturbing them.
Once you’re on the boat, the crew takes total care of you and makes sure everyone safely gets maximum bear experience. People come back from these trips as bear missionaries. Hiking among these powerful animals totally changes their views from the monsters of the hunting magazines to the timid, hardworking animals they are. John’s big boat and crew provide the best way to see these bears in a variety of situations. The trips bring together people of like minds. The boat anchors in calm bays and the beauty of each location is astounding. There are many pictures and a ton of information on John’s website at www.katmaibears.com. Our thanks to John for making this prime time tour available as a fund-raiser for the Bear Center. John is at 1-907-235-8337.
Lily’s fans reached another milestone toward the debt and expanded education today. Your continued contributions, including multiple contributions from many of you, brought us over $110,000. Thank you all for your contributions and support.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, North American Bear Center