Bear Course Begins
May 2, 2010 – 7:58 PM CDT
Lily moved a quarter mile last evening but held tight all day today in a small hundred-yard diameter area. She is still hugging the shore of the lake.
June and her yearlings went deep into a roadless area today and we would know nothing of her activities except for the GPS locations she is sending to the Google map on the computer. Her locations are close together which tells us she is moving slowly and likely foraging on vegetation.
The 2-year-old female Jo has stopped roaming for now and is concentrating her activity in an area of maybe a half mile in diameter where she is likely foraging on abundant vegetation.
Today was a day of other accomplishments with a volunteer work crew of 5 making spring improvements, technology improvements for more data, and getting the place ready for the Bear Course that started at 4 PM.
After dinner tonight, the Bear Course participants will hear a slideshow/lecture that will leave them with a new perspective on bear behavior and their relations with humans. They will also learn bear vocalizations and what they mean. Before the night is done, they will know how to interact safely with bears. Tomorrow they put their training to the test meeting Lily and Hope. All of the participants followed Lily and Hope daily this past winter, so we’re looking forward to introducing them to her for a few minutes in the morning. It will be a full schedule through Wednesday morning.
Today we posted a heart-stopping snippet of video at http://www.bear.org/website/lily-a-hope/den-cam-video-clips.html from our visit with Lily and Hope on April 28.
Thank you once again for your continued support of our research and educational efforts.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, North American Bear Center