Highs and Lows
Highs and Lows
August 1, 2010 – 5:21 PM CDT
One ‘high’ we are beginning to take for granted is Lily and Hope. As usual now, they are together and doing fine. Other than checking on Lily and Hope, we scarcely got in the field today.
The big ‘high’ was the Lilypad Picnic and related festivities.
It was an emotional high to meet the people who have done so much to help. It was a weekend of sharing true mutual love. At the brunch today, we got a chance to express our thank you’s and our dreams for what can happen as you become an ever stronger force for bears. The topic that generated the most enthusiasm was the classroom curriculum project that is coming together. Everyone recognized that this could be the most effective effort for bears to emerge from the energy generated by Lily and Hope. Opening the minds of children, replacing misconceptions with facts, can benefit bears for generations to come. It can change attitudes like we never dreamed possible. Together, we are planting a seed that eventually will grow on its own.
The ‘low’ came last night when we tried to submit the Pepsi Grant online. We failed. At first the web site was closed for maintenance. At midnight EDT, a red button appeared saying to submit proposals. We did. The server timed out—probably everyone trying at once. The proposal disappeared. We scrambled to re-write it and try again. We couldn’t sign in. Shortly, words said that a thousand proposals had been submitted, and the opportunity was closed. We were trying for $50,000 to upgrade the web site for upcoming den cams, to facilitate the classroom project, to expand offerings for children and families at the North American Bear Center, and to create exhibits on Living With Bears and Endangered Asian Bears.
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center