Re: Lily and Hope - The Black Bear and Cub

**whitestarling** Mon Sep 27, 2010 10:53 pm

Well it really looks as though Lily, and Hope are going to Den together, that would be fantastic after all the troubles early on. Thanks for keeping us updated AM
WS

Anne-Marie1981 Tue Sep 28, 2010 5:28 pm

Update September 27, 2010 – 8:15 PM CDT
by Lily the Black Bear on Tuesday, 28 September 2010 at 02:26
Anticipation

Fall in Ely, MN - September 27, 2010
Braveheart made a big move today. She’s now nearly 2 miles from the dug den she keeps revisiting. Go figure. She has been notorious for settling into dens late—and even moving to new dens after the first snowfall. Twice she has settled into new dens so late that snow covered the leaf litter normally used for bedding. Both times she resorted to shredded cedar bark and balsam boughs as bedding material. She’s keeping us guessing.

Jo’s GPS readings consistently came from the deer carcass site today. She’s still hanging tight to her treasure. Once she moves away we’ll revisit the site to see how much of the carcass she ate. What she doesn’t eat, others will. Nothing will go to waste.

Lily and Hope - September 27, 2010
Lily and Hope were active during the night last night. Not sure what they were up to, but by this morning they had settled into a new spot—still half a mile from their den. I hiked in to see if perhaps Lily was digging yet another den, but I found them bedded in a stand of young red pines. No sign of a den and no dirt on Lily. They rested, played, and Lily let Hope nurse. I watched closely and found Lily still has milk—perhaps only a few drops—but definitely thick creamy milk.

Lily nursing Hope - September 27, 2010
As I write this I can see Lily and Hope are on the move. Initial movement was toward water—likely to get a drink. Currently they are moving in the general direction of their dug den. Time will tell if they are really headed there or have some other destination in mind.

Juliet surprised us today by visiting her den from last winter. She was there for several hours but is now ¾ mile away and shows no sign of settling down yet.

Things are still looking good for the Ely School District (Ely Esy) in the Care2 school contest! Their lead has expanded to 1341—amazing! The link to vote is http://www.care2.com/schoolcontest/2704/054/.

I came back from my field time with Lily and Hope to find someone had kindly delivered a plate of cold cuts and some pasta salad from the lunch provided to the Bear Center by Lily fans. Thank you! It was a welcome treat.

Thank you for all you do.

—Sue Mansfield, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center

I ADORE this picture

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=7354783&fbid=474457375498&op=1&view=all&subj=10150093074179478&aid=-1&auser=0&oid=10150093074179478&id=263755115498

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=7354791&fbid=474458230498&op=1&view=all&subj=10150093074179478&aid=-1&auser=0&oid=10150093074179478&id=263755115498

Anne-Marie1981 Tue Sep 28, 2010 5:30 pm

And here is that adorable picture!

Lily and Hope - The Black Bear and Cub - Page 17 Lily_a10

**whitestarling** Tue Sep 28, 2010 5:56 pm

That is just brilliant AM, and what a fantastic picture Lily and Hope - The Black Bear and Cub - Page 17 768480

WS

**Laikipia** Tue Sep 28, 2010 6:51 pm

Lily and Hope - The Black Bear and Cub - Page 17 71418

beautiful picture - thanks for posting.

Lai

**littlewid** Tue Sep 28, 2010 10:31 pm

Thanks for the update Anne-Marie, it all seems pretty calm there at the moment doesn't it, long may it reign Very Happy

Both of those pics are adorable, they are such beautiful bears and it is so wonderful to see them together after all they have been through.They really are special these two.
littlewid-x-

Anne-Marie1981 Thu Sep 30, 2010 2:56 pm

Update September 28, 2010 – 9:00 PM CDT
by Lily the Black Bear on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 at 03:58
Lily and Hope make a move

Lily resting head on Hope - Sept 28, 2010
Lily and Hope moved overnight to the area where Lily had attempted to dig 3 different dens last fall before returning to her original den (where Hope was born) on Oct 3. Had Lily returned to the area to work more on one of those dens or perhaps an entirely new one? I joined up with them this afternoon hoping to finding out.

I didn’t. Lily did have dirt on her nose, but she didn’t lead me to a den or anywhere else for that matter. She’s slowing down and was content to rest and sleep (even snoring at one point) and let me hang out with Hope—who’s still quite active.

Hope knows me well and is comfortable with my trudging along behind. She was feeding on peavine and bedstraw plants scattered through the woods. At one point, she looked up then grabbed the stem of a downy arrowwood bush and pulled it down. She mouthed the leaves but paid particular attention to the inflorescence—the part of the plant that once held the berries. This made me think she’d fed on downy arrowwood berries and recognized the shape of the leaves. We’ve seen this behavior in bears before. I remember watching June look up and then pull down a lone mountain ash tree to check for berries. There were none. It’s not surprising that bears recognize leaf shape or bark texture. We humans do and our lives don’t depend on that knowledge the way bears’ lives do.

Hope leaning on Lily - September 28, 2010
Hope did something very interesting. She briefly made the motor-like comfort sound we associate with nursing and then began to tear into a well-rotted aspen log. She grabbed mouthfuls of wood and peeled it back. Then she rubbed her head on it—again and again and again. She continued to work feverishly at the log for 15-20 minutes, stopping every so often to rub more. When she walked away, I grabbed a chunk of wood to check out later. The rotted wood smelled pleasant and 2 people described the scent as ‘almond.’

Eventually, Hope joined Lily and they rested together. At one point, Lily used Hope as a pillow (picture). At another, Hope used Lily as a mattress (picture). As I write this, Lily and Hope are still in the same area. We’ll see what tomorrow brings.

Braveheart roamed today but shows no sign yet of returning to the dug den. Juliet and her cubs also roamed but eventually returned to the same bed site they used yesterday. Jo is still with the deer carcass. We wonder how much of it is left.

Ely School District’s lead in the Care2 school contest has grown to 1586 over second place—incredible! The link to vote is http://www.care2.com/schoolcontest/2704/054/.

Lynn and Donna Rogers returned this evening. Tomorrow’s update is Lynn's to write!

Thank you again for all you do.

—Sue Mansfield, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center

Photo's from facebook
Lily and Hope - The Black Bear and Cub - Page 17 62217_474924480498_263755115498_7362280_4885037_n

Lily and Hope - The Black Bear and Cub - Page 17 62217_474924480498_263755115498_7362280_4885037_n

Lily and Hope - The Black Bear and Cub - Page 17 61507_474924815498_263755115498_7362281_3638168_n

Anne-Marie1981 Thu Sep 30, 2010 2:57 pm

Update September 29, 2010 – 10:09 PM CDT
by Lily the Black Bear on Thursday, 30 September 2010 at 04:53
Back at work

Ely, Minnesota - Sept 2010
Lynn is glad to be back after a beautiful wedding and proudly walking his daughter Kelly down the path on a mountaintop near Boulder, Colorado.

He returned to find the bears still baffling us with their movements.

It is clear that the old notion that bears slow down in fall, find or make a den, and go to sleep is not quite that simple. Like everything else we have studied, there is variability. Some may follow the common notion. Others make dens as early as the month of June, often making several dens before choosing one.

Lily and Hope - September 28, 2010
Lily made a new den a few days ago. We’re waiting to see if she actually uses it. She spent the day a mile and a quarter away from it, in an area where she started 3 dens last fall. But in the last hour (now 9:26 PM), she and Hope have moved halfway back to their freshly made den. If she is moving to it, this is 3 ½ days earlier than she moved to her final den last fall.

Braveheart is nearly 2 miles northwest of the known den she has visited several times.

Juliet and her 3 cubs is on the move, heading toward a rock den she used 2 years ago when she was with one cub. You know that story from the Bearwalker documentary. That year, both of her female cubs died and she denned with the surviving male cub. We wonder if this den will fit all three. Does Juliet know that, or will she have to check it out? Or will she veer north to eat grass on a big lawn where she has fed under the cover of darkness before. Part of what we are learning is how some of these bears can coexist with people unseen.

Jo has now left the deer carcass and moved 1.75 miles to her current location—less than 250 yards from her den of last year. But we don’t think she can fit into it any more.

Yearling males may be the latest to den. We saw June’s yearling son Jordan today, and his heart rate was still high. It was 97 when we first saw him when he was a bit keyed up and 90 a few minutes later when he was relaxed.

While we were checking bear activities, you were voting to keep Ely School District in the lead, stretching the lead to 1,422 (1,979 to 557). To vote, go to http://www.care2.com/schoolcontest/2704/054/.

The Education Outreach Project continues to move ahead as people write lesson plans, make items for the Black Bear Boxes, and explore new directions.

You and we are still working on protection for radio-collared bears wearing ribbons in the study area. People who think protection for these radio-collared bears is the first step down the slippery slope toward protection for all bears are spreading rumors and working to scuttle the research altogether. All we are doing is asking protection for our few study bears. If the DNR wants to protect their radio-collared bears, too, so much the better in case our study bears roam like Cal did. We believe hunters should look for collars before they shoot. Waiting for a clear view means fewer wounding losses and less chance of shooting a researcher who is accompanying a study. Leaves are still on the trees and bushes, and visibility is poor except where shooting lanes are cleared around bait sites. Protecting the research benefits hunters as well as science, education, and the regional economy.

We believe that all of us working together—hunters and non-hunters alike—can make this happen.

Meanwhile, we will benefit the Ely School District by voting and will build an Education Outreach Program that could exceed the value of everything else we are doing together.

Thank you for all you are doing.

—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center

Lily and Hope - The Black Bear and Cub - Page 17 61263_475367595498_263755115498_7370563_7396925_n

Lily and Hope - The Black Bear and Cub - Page 17 61263_475367595498_263755115498_7370563_7396925_n

**littlewid** Fri Oct 01, 2010 5:05 pm

It sounds like house moving season doesn't it, no-one knows which den to use, I think it's quite funny, especially guessing as to whether they will fit into old dens. It will be lovely if Lily and Hope use the same den as last year as they know they can kit it out with cams and electricity and if Lily is pregnant we stand the chance of seeing another birth bounce

Jo really held on to that deer carcuss didn't she, I bet she is well fed now bless her.
They are stunning pics aren't they, they look so happy together don't they.
Thanks so much for keeping us up to date Anne-Marie Like a Star @ heaven

littlewid-x-

**Laikipia** Sat Oct 02, 2010 1:46 pm

Thanks for the updates Anne-Marie, good to catch up again.

I wonder what will happen - and really hope we can follow a cam again.

Lai

**whitestarling** Sat Oct 02, 2010 9:32 pm

It would be really good to follow Lily again if she gives birth. I wonder how Hope will react if she does. Thanks for the update AM
WS

Anne-Marie1981 Fri Oct 08, 2010 10:34 am

Update September 30, 2010 – 9:07 PM CDT
by Lily the Black Bear on Friday, 01 October 2010 at 04:19
Jewel is in a den

Lily’s younger half sister Jewel (1 ½ ) is in a den. She either dug it herself or enlarged an old den. Monday morning we’ll visit her with the landowner to see if this is a den he recognizes or if it’s a new one. If Jewel is comfortable with the visit, we’ll make any adjustments needed to her collar so she can comfortably curl up in her den this winter.

Jo - September 30, 2010
Braveheart, Jo, Juliet and cubs, and Lily and Hope are still rambling around with no discernable decisions about where they will settle. After all the work Lily put into digging the den we saw, she and Hope are still traveling. This evening they were less than a quarter mile from the den Lily dug when they veered off and headed south. They are now 1.18 miles from the den and still moving.

Same for Braveheart. After repeatedly visiting a known den, she is off to other areas. GPS locations showed she stayed in one area until about 4 PM and then moved nearly 2 miles to reach a logging road where there is abundant clover. There her GPS locations came at regular intervals and were fairly close and evenly spaced. We watched as she moved along the logging road and could visualize her feeding on the clover.

Jo's brush pile den - Sept 30, 2010
Jo left her deer carcass yesterday, as we said last night. By morning, she was 1.8 miles away and settled in one spot. Sue checked midmorning and found her in a den. This den is very different from the rock den she had trouble getting out of. It is open to the sky—just a depression on the ground in a jumble of downed trees that provide little protection from wind or snow. Maybe this den is not right for her either. About 4 PM, she moved a mile east, then 0.3 miles north—crossing Hwy 169 twice. She is now 3.65 miles from the den she could hardly wiggle out of a few days ago.

Meanwhile, Sue checked Jo’s deer carcass. All that remained were a few bones and scattered hair. It is unlikely that Jo finished it off so completely. The bones and hair were spread over a large area which is more like we expect from wolves or coyotes. They likely moved in overnight after Jo abandoned the remains.

Jo's deep bed - used Sept 23-24, 2010
Sue also checked on the area where Jo had been before moving 0.2 miles to the deer carcass. The GPS readings we get from the bears are so accurate Sue was able to walk right to a deep well-used bed on a high spot in a wetland. A nice bear trail led to the bed and a large vegetation scat was nearby.

Your voting for Ely School District in the Care2 school contest has stretched the lead to 1,455 (2,032 to 557). To vote, go to http://www.care2.com/schoolcontest/2704/054/.

We saw the results so far of the fundraising you are doing for WRI. Wonderful. Thank you!

Thank you for all you do.

—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center

Anne-Marie1981 Fri Oct 08, 2010 10:35 am

Update October 1, 2010 – 8:05 PM CDT
by Lily the Black Bear on Saturday, 02 October 2010 at 03:57
Waiting

Hope snoozing - September 28, 2010
The suspense continues.

We really hope Lily and Hope will den where they dug a den a week or so ago, but today they spent a quiet day nearly 2 miles away. And now in the last few hours (since about 6 PM), they have meandered another third of a mile away and are resting.

Braveheart is doing the opposite. After a trip through her territory that took her over 2 miles from the den she has visited off and on the last couple weeks, she is again within a couple hundred yards of it. Like Lily and Hope, she began moving about 6 PM.

Juliet and cubs and Jo are also spending long periods in very small areas and then moving to another area to do the same.

It is looking less likely that we will have two den cams this winter. We must have one in Lily and Hope’s den, and we hope they make that logistically reasonable.

The Black Bear Field Study Course registration opened at 1:00 AM EDT today and the courses were filled within 30 mins—incredible! There were some glitches in the registration software that resulted from the onslaught of simultaneous registrations and Sue spent much of today working to sort those out. It’s hard to believe that just 2 years ago we failed to fill 7 slots in the courses!

Every day we hear of advances and joy from the Educational Outreach group as one faction or another comes through with something.

Lynn was happy this morning when he stopped by the Bear Center before anyone was there and discovered the remains of a treat you sent—a very tasty macaroni salad. He doesn’t know what else he might have missed while in Colorado.

Lily’s Fans have more than doubled to 113,523, and we are beginning to see comments based on misconceptions that were addressed in early updates. Most newcomers probably haven’t seen those updates. We’ll need to address some of those topics again.

an Ely lake - September28, 2010
Most hunters are supportive of protection for the study bears—as is the general public—but nothing is 100%. Some people are looking for dirt. This means criticizing our research methods, painting worse case scenarios, predicting dire outcomes, and perusing Facebook entries for comments they can use to characterize Lily’s fans.

The main subject of acrimonious debate on the Lily’s Facebook page is hunting, with advocacy efforts to stop animal cruelty close behind. The few moderators we have do a wonderful job, but they are stretched thin and occasionally miss comments that make us look bad for hosting a page that tolerates such things. Comments that are not immediately deleted generate complaints that moderators are partial and that the Bear Center should lose its nonprofit status. All comments quickly become available to Internet search engines like Google. Yesterday, a hunter alerted us to a hostile comment that was buried under an update and had been missed. The moderators appreciate such help. We are currently enlisting the help of additional moderators.

You can help by creating separate Facebook pages or websites for your topics that spark heated debate. That way, we won’t appear to be hosting debates that discredit us. Hopefully this will sharpen the focus on research and education that Lily’s page was created for.

We’re excited about what could develop this winter with a den cam in Lily and Hope’s den along with a new litter. That will be a world first. We will all learn together.

—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center

Hope having a little rest
Lily and Hope - The Black Bear and Cub - Page 17 63380_476161980498_263755115498_7384416_2448977_n

Lily and Hope - The Black Bear and Cub - Page 17 63380_476161980498_263755115498_7384416_2448977_n

Anne-Marie1981 Fri Oct 08, 2010 10:37 am

Update October 2, 2010 – 9:43 PM CDT
by Lily the Black Bear on Sunday, 03 October 2010 at 04:18
Braveheart visits her den, Jo gives us a scare

As it was getting dark between 6:55 and 7:04 PM, Braveheart arrived at her den—the den she showed us back on June 30th. She has visited it several times in the last few weeks and has hovered near it since last night. Will she stay this time?

Lynn Rogers taking Jo's heart rate - October 2, 2010
Jo gave us a scare when her GPS signal quit and we couldn’t hear her telemetry signal. We feared the worst. Could she really have traveled out of telemetry range after we found her heart rate slowed to only 49 a week ago? We thought maybe she was deep in a rock den that shielded her signal. We split up and scoured her territory and beyond. Finally, we got her signal 5 miles from her last location—a long way to travel, we thought. We phoned to regroup, walked into a beautiful cedar swamp, and found her bedded in moss and grass at the base of a cedar. She stood up as we approached. Her heart rate was 62. She is now 1.9 miles west of the rock den she almost got stuck in a week ago and 4.5 miles west of the log den she was in a couple days ago. We checked the 4 by 8-inch area on her back where she lost hair squirming out of the rock den. The guard hairs are gone, but her inch of dense underfur is still present, so the spot shouldn’t get too cold this winter. But that couldn’t have felt good getting all those guard hairs pulled out in her attempts to get out of the den!

Jo in cedar swamp - October 2, 2010
Juliet and the cubs are still the same story of resting during the day, moving in the evening, and resting overnight.

Lily and Hope have been in the same lowland spot since 7:45 PM last evening, and it is now nearly 26 hours later. Could it be a den? Probably not, considering that it is a lowland, but we’ll have to see. We dearly hope she goes back to the nice dug den she made 1.9 miles away.

Following up on last night’s update

We believe education can make more of a difference for bears than anything else we all can do. When people know what black bears are really like, when they replace the vicious hype of the media with scientific facts, attitudes will change. As word of Lily and Hope and the other research bears spreads across the nation and around the world through the developing Education Outreach Program, people will learn that black bears are not the ferocious animals they once thought. They may look at all bears with a more open mind and become more willing to coexist with them.

As people learn that bears, even grizzly bears, are intelligent, basically timid animals, people may no longer let them languish in cages too small to turn around in—as is the case for thousands of bears in Asian bile farms. People will no longer allow bears to be kept in concrete zoos and other substandard conditions that drive intelligent bears mad with psychoses of boredom, reducing bears’ lives to pacing and other mindless repetitive movements.

As people realize that bears are sentient beings that feel pain and emotion and have a need to stimulate their minds to remain mentally sound, they will no longer think of them as varmints that don’t feel pain and can be subjected to inhumane treatment.

Hunters will also benefit. In Minnesota, education led landowners to coexist with more bears. Less shooting by landowners and a limited hunt allowed the bear population to quadruple and their range to spread, which, in turn, provided more hunting opportunities. We believe education benefits bears, as well as those who enjoy seeing bears, and those who want to hunt them. A major purpose of hunting is to control bear numbers to a level people will tolerate.

We have become a working group—working to spread the truth about bears and promote reasonable coexistence. People will never tolerate unlimited coexistence, of course, and hunting is a more humane way to limit bears to the numbers people will tolerate than the methods used in the old inhumane days of gut-shooting, trapping, and poisoning. Around the world, perceived threats to people and their livestock and crops are major limiting factors for bears. The less fear there is, the less killing there is. Education is the key to survival of some endangered bear species and the numerous black bears that live among us in North America.

As we finished writing this, we noticed that in the last 77 minutes Braveheart moved nine tenths of a mile away from the den and is still moving. Will she ever settle down?

On another topic, Wow! You have put Ely Schools in the lead in the Care2 school contest by 1,573 votes. Every day, you widen the gap a little more. Newspapers are noting what you are doing for the area and that it is a direct result of the radio-collared bears. We are hoping this resonates with law-makers as one more reason to give protection to these radio-collared bears.

Thank you for all you do.

—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center

Anne-Marie1981 Fri Oct 08, 2010 10:37 am

Update October 3, 2010 – 8:04 PM CDT
by Lily the Black Bear on Monday, 04 October 2010 at 03:22
The Wait Continues

Jo bear - October 3, 2010
After checking her den again yesterday, Braveheart has moved slightly over 2 miles away from it.

About 4:30 PM today, Lily and Hope finally decided to leave the small area where they spent 44 ¾ hours 1.9 miles from their den. As of 8:08 PM, they were 1.1 miles away from that spot but are 35 degrees off course if they are heading for their den.

The pattern of locations for Lily and Hope in the small area they spent so much time suggests foraging. We’ll know when we check that spot for scats. But if they’re still hungry, why aren’t they visiting households that feed bears? Are they looking for something special? The scats (or lack of them) could give a clue.

Jo's leaf litter bed - October 3, 2010
After moving 5 miles 2 nights ago, Jo (picture) spent today bedded only a quarter mile from yesterday’s bed. She had raked leaf litter from a large area today to insulate her from the cold ground (picture of bed).

Juliet and cubs also spent the day in a small area, but early this evening they moved to one of her old dens. We wonder if she is thinking of reusing it. This is the second time she has visited this old den this fall.

All still have their ribbons, which have proved to be durable and highly visible, but they probably won’t encounter bear hunters now. They are mostly sedentary, and few bear hunters are around.

You stretched the lead in the School Contest to 1,585 votes, and you put the research fundraiser over the $20,000 mark! Thank you!

Thank you for ALL you do.

—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center

Anne-Marie1981 Fri Oct 08, 2010 10:38 am

Update October 4, 2010 – 10:23 PM CDT
by Lily the Black Bear on Tuesday, 05 October 2010 at 05:04
Braveheart is cautious and gentle

Lynn Rogers changes Braveheart's GPS batteries - October 4, 2010
A few days ago, we reported that Jewel (June’s yearling) was in a den. Today, we went to the den with the landowner to see if it was new or one he recognized. No Jewel. She was probably just trying it out like Jo has done with a couple dens. We did think it was a bit early for Jewel to be in a den. Typically, the pregnant females are the only ones to den so early. Jewel is not wearing a GPS unit because she has a small collar for a small bear, so we will radio-track her by vehicle or airplane like in the old days. We are getting spoiled with the GPS technology that lets us sit in front of a computer and see an updated location every 10 minutes.

Lily and Hope did not go back to their den last night. They maintained their heading 30 degrees off the den direction for 1.3 miles and then settled in another small area where they have remained for over 23 hours as of 9:45 PM.

Juliet and cubs are still hanging around the same old den. We’ll see if they stay. It seems a little early for them to settle in, considering that Juliet is not pregnant.

Jo spent the day in an area about 250 yards in diameter, which seems too big to be concentrated around a den, so she was probably foraging.

It’s always nice to visit a bear, and today it was Braveheart’s turn to have her GPS batteries changed. A newspaper reporter and a videographer/photographer were along but were quiet.

Braveheart is cautious. A few days ago, we tried to approach her signal only to hear it fade. Today, we said the familiar words with the familiar voice as we clambered through a dense, wet cedar swamp. At times her signal was close, then farther away. After about an hour, she circled around. Braveheart is a bear people seldom see. Before she will show herself, she seems to need confirmation that it is safe to let a person come within sight. Circling around, she probably smelled the familiar person and stopped retreating. The signal got louder as we climbed over logs and stepped over water. Finally, there she was through the bushes, sitting and looking. Fifteen yards away, we stopped to let her approach when she felt safe. She sat for another few minutes, sniffing the air and looking in every direction except ours. She had identified us as safe, but she wanted to make sure the noise of us approaching was not some unidentified danger.

Then she came.

We sat down in the deep moss. She sat down and got her treat of nuts in exchange for letting us change the batteries in her GPS. In removing the GPS from the pack on the top of her collar, we tried not to touch her ears because she was constantly swiveling her head and ears for danger. Touching her ears interferes with hearing. Once, when we touched her ears too much while getting the zipper on the GPS case open, she opened her mouth in a mock bite toward the hand to say “Please don’t do that.”

When we pushed the stethoscope too hard against her chest to get her heart rate, she lightly bit an arm to say “go easy.” Her communications were gentle.

We never think of her 400 pounds of power. We just think of how she is feeling and about the privilege of relating to this wild but trusting creature.

Her heart rate was only 44. Braveheart has a normally slower heart rate than other bears. When other bears have heart rates in the mid-80’s in summer, Braveheart’s is around 74. So it is not surprising that she gave the lowest heart rate of this fall, even lower than Jo’s heart rate of 49 just before she entered the rock den a week or so ago.

With Braveheart, a person also thinks of what a loss it would be to lose this valuable 8-year-old research bear. We were glad to see that the bright ribbons we had attached to her radio-collar over a month ago to alert hunters were still present and looking fresh.

We believe Braveheart will retire to a den in the next week or so, but as we write this, she continues to roam. She is 1.8 miles away from the den she visited several times and is heading away. She has some unfinished business that remains a mystery to us, and that is part of what drives us on. Another point of suspense, Braveheart has not given a GPS location for over 3 hours. Has she entered a rock den, or is her collar just twisted around on her neck?

Tomorrow will bring answers to many of the questions of this day, we’re sure.

You have stretched the school contest lead to 1,652 votes. The closest school to your 2,253 votes has only 601 votes—nearly a 4 to 1 lead. Amazing. To vote, go to http://www.care2.com/schoolcontest/2704/054/.

Thank you for all you do.

—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center

Anne-Marie1981 Fri Oct 08, 2010 10:38 am

Update October 5, 2010 – 8:53 PM CDT
by Lily the Black Bear on Wednesday, 06 October 2010 at 03:55
Juliet and cubs at a den

Juliet's cub stripping cedar bark - October 5, 2010
Today, the North American Bear Center was honored to host a group of veterinarians from across the nation and from 8 countries around the world. Lynn answered questions on a wide range of topics for an hour and a half, followed by a half hour discussion by veterinarian Larry Anderson on the most recent parasite discoveries in this project. Larry is a semi-retired veterinarian who lives in the study area and is part of the research team.

Meanwhile, Lily and Hope remained in an area less than 80 yards in diameter from about 9:30 PM Sunday evening until about 2:30 PM today—41 hours. Then they expanded their activities to an area about 265 yards in diameter but didn’t move any closer to their den 0.9 miles east.

Juliet's den - October 5, 2010
The biggest news today was Sue’s visit to Juliet at a den—the same den Juliet and the cubs were born in. Re-use of dens is only about 1 in 25. Sue called the landowner and asked permission to visit the den. Granted. She needed to replace the batteries in Juliet’s GPS unit. When she arrived, Juliet and one cub were at the den. Two others were maybe 40 yards away. They have been raking bedding into the den, although only enough so far for a bed for one bear. They probably have a lot more raking to do. The den is in a jumble of downed trees. Cedar trees, including one of the downed cedars, had bark stripped to use for bedding. One of the pictures shows a cub stripping bark to help. Although mothers usually do most of the work of preparing dens, cubs have the instinct and can make dens okay if they are orphaned as some are during the hunting season.

While we were busy, you were supporting Ely’s Schools. You added 586 votes to increase the lead to 1,735 votes. Meanwhile, the second place school added 3 votes. The contest runs through November 12.

Thank you for your donations and all you do.

—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center

Anne-Marie1981 Fri Oct 08, 2010 10:39 am

Update October 6, 2010 – 8:32 PM CDT
by Lily the Black Bear on Thursday, 07 October 2010 at 03:32
More bears denned

Lily & Hope - October 6, 2010
Lily and Hope are still in the same area as the last few days. Their movements according to Lily’s GPS unit are all within a hundred-yard diameter. We started to wonder. Could that mean they have a den? We checked and couldn’t find one. We took the opportunity to remove Hope’s radio-collar that would expire soon anyway. We’re not worried about hunters and ribbons at this point. We also wanted to change the batteries in Lily’s GPS unit, but the zipper was stuck with fine sand from earlier digging. We tried and tried while Lily maintained her patience. We gave up. We’ll have to return tomorrow with a different radio-collar and replace the whole outfit. As we left, we circled through some possible denning areas but the ground is a mass of boulders and an unlikely place to have any success with digging, and there were no exposed boulder piles with readymade dens like the one Jo squeezed into. As we passed back near them, maybe 50 yards away, we spotted Hope down through the leafless bushes. She ran. We weren’t saying anything and the wind was wrong, so we were just anyone. She disappeared in an instant. We’ll see them tomorrow to give Lily a new collar and GPS unit.

Jewel's den - October 6, 2010
Next we checked on Jewel who the BBC found in a den the other day. Then we reported to you that her signal was nowhere to be found in that area. So we asked Jason to radio-locate her. He found her in the same den (picture). We met the landowner there and once again couldn’t get a signal. The trouble was our receiver. Somehow, it wouldn’t receive her frequency. With guidance from Jason and the landowner, we found her in a new den that the landowner had never seen before. It was obvious, so the landowner wouldn’t have missed it. We needed to replace her old collar that would expire over winter. Jewel was good enough to come out and let us remove her old collar, but her ultra-thick fur hampered putting the new one on easily. Eventually, little Jewel got tired of her neck being pulled and probed. We’ll visit her again tomorrow and hope things go more smoothly.

Ursula in her den - October 5, 2010
Late yesterday we visited 5-year-old Ursula, Shadow’s daughter, and found her in a den (picture). We went prepared to remove her big collar and give her a new one without GPS for the winter. She has been at the den for some time—certainly over a week. She had raked a large area (picture) to move bedding into her den under a jumble of fallen trees. She was very lethargic. At first, she couldn’t move. After a half hour or more, she slowly moved a foreleg. In another 15 minutes she scrunched forward and eventually made it to the entrance where we made the collar change. Ursula will likely have cubs. We expected her to have cubs this past January but something went wrong.

evidence of raking near Ursula's den - October 5, 2010
You don’t know how impressed we are with the letters you have sent to Governor Pawlenty, Commissioner Holsten, and your legislators. Very well written. Convincing. Polite. Professional. They have to be impressed. But we also think the governor is unlikely to take any controversial stand against the wishes of the DNR. The governor has presidential aspirations, and the word we get is not to expect much. The words we’ve heard from Commissioner Holsten on TV show that our pleas are falling on deaf ears. We’ve gotten no response to our detailed request for a meeting to discuss protection.

The governor is not running for re-election. The new governor will likely appoint a new commissioner in January or early February. We’ve heard that all the legislative seats are up for re-election. Some of you have suggested including protection as a question in debates between candidates. There could be new faces in the legislature come February. By that time, we’re hoping for strong legislative support spurred in part by your letters, perhaps re-sent, to the newly elected officials. Some of the letters may come from classrooms whose teachers assign the task of writing their elected officials. From what we hear, there is strong public support—including hunters—for protection for these radio-collared bears. A public opinion poll in the Duluth News Tribune ran nearly 10 to 1 in favor.

A criticism we saw in a newspaper by a DNR official was that our ribbons could fall off “in a heartbeat.” He evidently made that statement without knowledge of the ribbons or their durability. Ribbons we put on over a month ago are just as visable today as when we put them on—as you see in the pictures night after night. We’re asking for protection for radio-collared bears wearing bright ribbons in central St Louis County (the study area), which is a very small portion of the bear range in Minnesota.

Thank you for all you are doing. The letters we filed today were so impressive. And you are moving Ely’s Schools into an ever stronger lead for the $20,000. Your efforts are making the news and building support for the radio-collared bears. So many of you are helping in different ways. Here’s a link to a story that aired http://www.northlandsnewscenter.com/news/outdoors/Bears-Help-Students-With-Funding-104421104.html. More coverage is in the pipeline.

—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center

Lily and Hope - The Black Bear and Cub - Page 17 33691_478337825498_263755115498_7430615_1017189_n

Lily and Hope - The Black Bear and Cub - Page 17 33691_478337825498_263755115498_7430615_1017189_n

Anne-Marie1981 Fri Oct 08, 2010 10:40 am

Update October 7, 2010 – 8:32 PM CDT
by Lily the Black Bear on Friday, 08 October 2010 at 04:03
Big Field Day

This will sound like Sue outworked Lynn in the field. Well, that may be true.

First, Lynn’s little part visiting Lily and Hope who are still in the small area they have been using for several days now. We wondered what they could be doing there so long. Today, they showed us. Their bed is in the middle of a dug up patch of ground around a torn stump. We suspect they have been digging for grubs, although the lack of scats suggests they haven’t found many. But there is not much else to eat this time of year, which is why bears enter dens about now. But if they are hungry enough to work that hard, why didn’t they go to one of the dozen households that feed bears in the township? People are hardly seeing bears now.

Our purpose today was to replace Lily’s collar. Yesterday, we tried to replace the batteries in her GPS unit, but we couldn’t get the zipper open. So we had to come back with a whole new outfit—actually a used outfit, the same collar and GPS unit we removed from Ursula. Maybe that is what made Lily balk at putting it on her. She raised a paw saying to wait a moment so she could smell it. Then she gave the okay to put it on. Sorry, no pictures—Sue had the camera!

Hope was full of zip yet, but Lily was very mellow and very tolerant as we tugged at her ribbons to get to the screws to undo her radio-collar. Their den is nearly a mile to the east if they ever decide to move there and start raking bedding into it. That move could come soon. Lily’s heart rate about 1 PM was 46, compared with 63 yesterday. Lily is such a wonderful bear to work with.

We can’t quite say the same for Jewel. After we removed her radio-collar yesterday, we experienced her emphatic rejection of the idea of a new one, so we tried again today. First Lynn tried, but Jewel’s look and body language let him know she wasn’t buying it. Would Lynn show courage and try anyway? Or would he heed Jewel’s look and shrink away. Sue saw his indecision and said she would try it. Lynn gladly let her try. Same story for Sue. Jewel is just saying “No” to radio-collars. She joins Hope in spending the winter without a radio-collar.

Jo at her den - October 7, 2010
So, on to Jo. Like Lily, 2-year-old Jo has been in the same area for several days. Is she just resting and foraging like Lily and Hope? Or does sweet Jo have a den? Sue’s inquiring mind wanted to know. Jo’s GPS readings have been intermittent in the last day. Could that mean she is deep underground? Sue hiked in. She came over a hill to find Jo sitting on a pile of white sand and boulders she had pulled out of a hole barely big enough for her to enter. She has dug a den deep into a hillside. Beside the den was a big ball of grass she had raked up. We’ll have to backtrack the GPS locations to see when she first arrived at this spot. Jo was her usual sweetheart self. She noted Sue’s presence and went about raking more bedding. She backed into the den and pulled some of the bedding in behind her. Sue got some good video of the raking. The first den Jo tried out was too tight, the second den was too breezy, this den seems just right!

sand and rocks Jo pulled out of den - October 7, 2010
Every time we witness bears doing things like this, we can’t help being amazed at what they are showing us. For decades, we thought we were learning about bears by measuring tranquilized bears and putting telemetry dots on maps. Finally, the questions that were raised in those years are being answered by bears that will simply go about their business ignoring trusted researchers. And after seeing something so wonderful, we want to share it with people who care, and that is what makes writing these updates such a pleasure.

Braveheart next to large cedar - October 7, 2010
With Jo’s mystery solved, Sue was on to seeing what Braveheart is up to. She also has barely moved for days. Sue must have gotten a good night’s sleep last night, or she wanted to relieve the stress of having over 500 unanswered emails that require more than short answers. Some of them have been on her computer for weeks with too many other things requiring her time. She tackled the long walk that ended with a steep 180-foot descent (according to the topo map) down rocks and through fallen trees. At the bottom, in a beautiful swamp with cedars over 2 feet in diameter, was Bravheart, just resting with no sign of dirt in her fur. Braveheart was nice as ever. The privileged feeling we get just goes on.

Partway back, Sue phoned the research cabin and learned that Bear Center staff had delivered a huge pizza, sweet bread sticks, and a big Pepsi from Lily fans. She hurried back to make sure she got some.

At the cabin, we saw the GPS locations for Juliet and cubs are still clustered around their den. We imagined them raking bedding into it.

Then we checked Lily’s locations. Was her move with Hope to the den in progress? About 6 PM, they broke their pattern of staying in an area less than a hundred yards in diameter. By 8 PM, they had moved 0.3 miles south and then turned a tenth of a mile east northeast toward their den three quarters of a mile away. But then they headed north and then west. By 9 PM they were back in their bedsite.

Through all of our interactions with the study bears, we think three things. One, we want the world to know what black bears are really like. Two, protection is desperately needed for these bears that are the culmination of years of work covering several bear generations: no other bears in the world are revealing the behavior and ecology like these bears do every day. And three, Sue Mansfield, M.S., must be a part of the research permit. If something should happen to Lynn, the work must go on. Toward that end, we are making plans to rebuild the garage with quarters above for graduate students and interns. Sue is perhaps the only person in the world who could carry on the research, data analysis and writing. Her knowledge of these bears and the message they have for the world, together with her 20 years experience as a data analyst make her unique. We have asked in the past to have Sue added to the DNR research permit and been denied. To assure continuation of this research, there is a need to protect the study bears and put Sue in a position to continue their study.

Thank you for all you do. Today your numbers on Facebook passed 114,000 (plus perhaps an equal number who are following off Facebook). Today, you kept Ely Schools in the lead 2,389 to 624 in the effort to bring $20,000 to Ely’s Schools at http://www.care2.com/schoolcontest/2704/054/. Meanwhile, progress continued on the Education Outreach Project.

The story of today’s visit to Lily and Hope will be on Duluth’s Northland News Channel 6 Monday night (October 11) with a second part to follow, according to reporter David Hoole.

—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center

**Laikipia** Fri Oct 08, 2010 11:55 am

Thanks for all the updates Anne-Marie. There's so much going on out there, it's hard to keep up with all this bear activity.

Lai Very Happy

**littlewid** Fri Oct 08, 2010 6:02 pm

WOW I enjoyed that catch up there Anne-Marie, thanks alot for that. The bears all seem to be deciding on what den to use still, a new one or an old one, it seems a big dilema for them all but its fun reading how they all keep changing their mind.
I hope their FB page runs smoothly, it wil be a great shame if by some stupid comments the research is discredited, they have worked so hard for so many years, it must be a tough job for their modertors to keep up with it all.
I love the way that although the bears have been part of the research for such a while and are used to Lynn and Sue, they still have their own minds....No GPS for me thanks

I love that they are still in control and that Lynn and Sue respect them for that.
Thanks again for the update and great pics Anne-Marie.
littlewid-x-

Anne-Marie1981 Tue Oct 19, 2010 3:21 pm

Sorry I have been absent again. Finding it very hard to get on during works at the minute. Here are all the updates I have missed posting so far Very Happy

Update October 8, 2010 – 8:15 PM CDT
by Lily the Black Bear on Saturday, 09 October 2010 at 02:21
Lily still searching

Lily with dirt on nose - October 8, 2010
Braveheart remains deep in the remote cedar swamp. We really hope she doesn’t den there. It’s a difficult area to get to even in good weather! Sue isn’t eager to go back.

Juliet and her cubs are still hanging tight at the den she used last year. We wonder what it must be like for her cubs to be back at the den they were born in.

No GPS readings from Jo today. That likely means she rested in her den. She may have reached out to pull in some of the bedding she had raked into piles on either side of the entrance. She could have done that without coming out far enough to activate the GPS unit.

Hope - October 8, 2010
Lily’s GPS stopped transmitting about 10:30 AM. We figured it was just under her chin and we waited for her to scratch it around again. Didn’t happen. Late this afternoon, Sue went out to ‘make things right’ and got more than she bargained for. Lily and Hope were on the move headed west. Sue caught up with them and found Lily’s GPS had quit prematurely so replaced it.

Sue noticed a bit of dirt on Lily’s nose but there was no den in sight. Later Lily nosed around under a downed tree and dug briefly at the soil underneath before moving on. This leads us to believe Lily may still be looking for the perfect spot to den. We think the one she already dug is perfect—roomy, high and dry, picturesque, located in an open area good for filming. But Lily likely has different standards. Perhaps it’s too open for her. The one Sue watched her begin to dig nearby was in a gnarly balsam thicket amongst downed trees. Well hidden. Makes us wonder.

As we write this (8:00 PM), Lily is still moving, though her movements seem erratic. She had been headed west when Sue caught up with her, then she traveled southeast, then west again. We’ll see where she settles for the night.

We’re still working on that pizza, and there may even be some left for tomorrow’s breakfast!

We’ve enjoyed catching a bit of the silliness happening around the WRI fundraising effort. You folks certainly know how to put the FUN in fundraising! All much appreciated.

Thank you for all you do.

—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center

Gorgeous Lily

Lily and Hope - The Black Bear and Cub - Page 17 66058_479065615498_263755115498_7441406_936787_n

Lily and Hope - The Black Bear and Cub - Page 17 66058_479065615498_263755115498_7441406_936787_n

Beautiful Hope
Lily and Hope - The Black Bear and Cub - Page 17 40894_479065730498_263755115498_7441407_3243017_n

Anne-Marie1981 Tue Oct 19, 2010 3:23 pm

Update October 9, 2010 – 7:30 PM CDT
by Lily the Black Bear on Sunday, 10 October 2010 at 02:38
On the move

Lily and Hope on the move - October 9, 2010
Once again Lily and Hope forced me away from mundane deskwork. I was monitoring GPS signals on my computer while working bank statements when Lily made a quick abrupt move 0.4 miles northwest. I waited not-so-patiently for 2 hours for another location to appear—then packed up and headed out to find her.

I intercepted Lily as she and Hope were about to cross a forest road. She was a bear on a mission—barely stopping long enough for me to spin her collar around so the GPS would transmit again. Hope was scrambling to keep up. They weren’t posing for pictures today!

Lily was dripping wet. She likely had overheated by being so active on this warm (70F) day with her heavy winter coat. Even the top of her head was wet. Bears typically use their paw to rub water on the top of their head when cooling off. However, Hope was dry.

They began walking south along the road. I knew there were grouse hunters cruising the road so I followed the bears. They had walked and loped along the road for a quarter mile when Lily did an about-face, backtracked 100 feet, and loped off into the woods. I bid them a “Thank you bears!” and headed back to the field station.

Lily is now headed back into the cedar swamp where she spent so much time a few weeks ago.

Lily in open fall woods - October 9, 2010
It’s hard to know what she’s up to. We’re all anxious for her to settle in so we can begin planning in earnest for another den cam. Assuming Lily is pregnant; the educational opportunity a den cam of a mixed-age litter presents is unprecedented. We’ll all learn together.

Jo left her den late morning just long enough for us to get 3 GPS readings. She may have been raking more bedding or just stretching her legs a bit.

No change in location for Juliet or Braveheart. Still hoping Braveheart moves back to that easily accessible dug den she revisited multiple times!

Most of the leaves have fallen. The woods are very ‘crunchy’ and it’s easier to catch sight of the bears without the dense leafy understory so prevalent in this area. This picture of Lily from yesterday shows how open the woods are now.

I have the honor of writing the update tonight so Lynn can spend time with family. He and his granddaughter Veronica were feeding chickadees and red squirrels by hand here at the field station earlier this evening.

Thank you for your donations to both WRI and NABC. You continue to amaze us! Ely School District is maintaining its strong lead in the Care2 school contest (http://www.care2.com/schoolcontest/2704/054/) too—thanks to you!

—Sue Mansfield, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center

Lily and Hope
Lily and Hope - The Black Bear and Cub - Page 17 34424_479446155498_263755115498_7450449_4147804_n

Lily and Hope - The Black Bear and Cub - Page 17 34424_479446155498_263755115498_7450449_4147804_n

Anne-Marie1981 Tue Oct 19, 2010 3:24 pm

Update October 10, 2010 – 7:10 PM CDT
by Lily the Black Bear on Monday, 11 October 2010 at 01:43
Still waiting

Lily and Hope - October 8, 2010
Not much new to report.

Jo has been in and out of her den but not venturing far. She’s probably collecting bedding or just resting outside.

Juliet and cubs are still at their den of last year, occasionally venturing out less than a hundred yards.

Braveheart is no closer to the dug den she showed us, but at least she moved out of the distant swamp Sue walked to and is half a mile closer to a forest road. Hopefully this means she will settle somewhere soon.

Lily and Hope continue to wander about a mile southwest of the den they made. They have made no move toward that den, but they haven’t settled anywhere else either. All they are showing us is how little we know about bears after 44 years. Pictures are from Oct 8.

Lily's tracks across ant mound - October 8, 2010
Meanwhile, you give us encouragement with your words, treats, auctions, and donations. Thank you. After getting a cranberry-apple pie and big cookies today, Lynn was heard to say that he is the heaviest he has ever been and if the Lily fans reject him at the Lilypad Picnic next summer for being heavy it wouldn’t be fair because they are the ones who made him that way. He said that while eating the pie.

Ely’s mayor sounded excited that the Lilypad planners have reserved big Whiteside Park for the Picnic next summer. The park covers a big city block in the center of Ely. He said the location could make the picnic a bigger event, which is what the planners are planning for.

Meanwhile, you stretched the score in the Care 2 Schools contest to 2,479 Ely versus 631 for second place. To vote, go to http://www.care2.com/schoolcontest/2704/054/.

Thank you for all you do.

—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center

Where has that tiny little bear cub gone?? She's so grown up now!!
Lily and Hope - The Black Bear and Cub - Page 17 66449_479861690498_263755115498_7461350_6769625_n

Lily and Hope - The Black Bear and Cub - Page 17 66449_479861690498_263755115498_7461350_6769625_n

Anne-Marie1981 Tue Oct 19, 2010 3:26 pm

Update 10-11-10 – 8:24 PM CDT
by Lily the Black Bear on Tuesday, 12 October 2010 at 03:34
Collar Swaps

Lynn Rogers swapping June's radio-collar - October 11, 2010
With Lily and Hope 1.6 miles southwest of the den they dug and showing no inclination to move towards it, we turned our attention to three other bears.

As part of our kinder and gentler research methods, and taking advantage of our ability to work closely with these bears without trapping and tranquilizing them, we are replacing their big radio-collars with thin ones for the winter. The batteries in these smaller ones will only last through winter and spring, but they are perfect for winter. The thin collar material allows the bears to more easily tuck their heads under their chests in the preferred hibernating position. These collars are like the one Lily wore last winter. Bears prefer to hibernate on their belly with hind legs forward along their sides and forelegs crossed with the head tucked under the chest. This minimizes heat loss from the muzzle and eye region and lets them re-breathe the warm, moist air they exhale into the bedding underneath them and along the sparsely furred underside. This becomes especially important after they give birth in January, the coldest month. Mothers have their heads tucked under, breathing on the cubs, minimizing heat loss and water loss. We don’t know another bear study that gives the smaller collars for more comfort in winter. Buying these radio-collars is one of the things we did with your donations.

Our first visit was to 9-year-old June (Lily’s mom). She was the first radio-collared bear to den up this year—on September 16. We haven’t visited June for nearly a month. She has been busy raking bedding from up to 50 feet from her den. She recognized our voices and came out and never said a bad word. She was perfectly calm. After changing her radio-collar (picture), we took her heart rate. Not surprisingly, it was the lowest we measured this fall—only 33. June is expected to give birth to two or three cubs in January. Seeing how June responded to us makes us want to redouble our efforts for protection during hunting season. She has known us for so long that her loss would be a huge blow.

Jo emerging from her den - October 11, 2010
From there, it was on to 2-year-old Jo, who also may have cubs in January. She may have an unusually warm den this winter. She denned where there is a lot of tall grass, and she has raked big balls of it into her deep, dug den and also up to the entrance (pictures). We’ve seen other bears plug their entrances in these conditions, and her entrance was nearly plugged today. The opening in the grass was only about 6 inches in diameter, but she stretched that wider when she poked her head through it and then her body as she emerged. She brushed past us, looked around, watched an airplane, and then turned her attention to us. A few handfuls of hazelnuts gave us time to remove the old collar, give her a new small one, and take her heart rate—43, which is slower than it was (48) just before she squeezed into that small rock den a couple weeks back. Her current den is a classic dug den.

Lynn Rogers swapping Jo's radio-collar - October 11, 2010
Jo is a natural sweetheart, which is almost unbelievable given our late exposure to her as a young bear. She is a daughter of prickly RC. We didn’t see much of her before she left RC at about 17 months of age. Slowly, on her own, she accepted our offerings and advances enough to allow herself to be radio-collared. But that was at a location where she was used to seeing people. It’s requires another level of trust to see a bear at other locations out in the woods. One day we got Jo’s signal near the town of Soudan. She was feeding in the powerline corridor that skirts the town. When she heard our voices calling out to her there, she didn’t believe it was us. She lifted her head and bolted.

Later, we learned she was struck by a vehicle while crossing Highway 169. We feared the worst. We felt huge relief when we finally caught up to her a week later and she was okay. Today, she heard our voices, poked her head through the bedding that clogged her den opening and was totally accepting. She is another bear that we dearly want to see protected come hunting season. She has potential as a research bear we can follow.

The final bears of the day were Juliet and her three cubs Sharon, Shirley, and Boy Named Sue. As we approached their den in a cedar swamp, at first all we could see was a shadow with hot pink ribbons near the den. Next, we made out the GPS unit on the top of her collar. Finally, we saw Juliet herself with the three cubs near her. We distracted the cubs with hazelnuts and kept Juliet occupied with more of the same while we changed her collar and took her heart rate—48. Little Sharon and Boy also let us take heart rates. Cubs have faster heart rates than adults. Sharon’s was 68 and Boy’s was 72. This is a big drop from the heart rates in the 90’s only a couple weeks ago, which was a drop from the rates up around 160 earlier in the summer. It is likely that Sharon and Shirley will let us give them radio-collars in May before they leave Juliet. We probably won’t radio-collar Boy because of the high chance he will move far away. We’ll see what kind of GPS technology is available to us by then, though. (Sorry, no pictures of Juliet and cubs… ‘someone’ dropped the camera on the way in to their den. Fortunately we were able to locate it on the way out after considerable searching. )

Now, the wait continues for Lily, Hope and Braveheart to move to dens.

When we see how these bears behave and how that contrasts with the media hype about the danger from black bears, we yearn for honest programming with solid educational content and accurate information. That is one of the things that makes us thankful for the BBC’s willingness to portray black bears as they really are. One of these days, we’ll write an update on the topic. One of the things that spurs us in that direction is that we have been talking to Dr. Chris Palmer lately. He is the author of "Shooting in the Wild: An Insider's Account of Making Movies in the Animal Kingdom." You might have seen him on Nightline recently. We hope his exposure of some of the fraud behind TV programming about wildlife will lead to more honest portrayals for the public. We have often refused to be part of TV programs that mischaracterize bears.

That same thought is what drives our enthusiasm for the Education Outreach Project you and we are working on—and one of the reasons we want the research and education to continue long into the future with graduate students, biologists, and interns carrying on the mission.

Meanwhile, you are doing your part to make that possible with letters to officials asking for protection for the radio-collared bears and helping us any way you can. A couple days ago, you made life a little easier at both the WRI and the Bear Center with the gift of two super coffee makers from the Wish List. And you are continuing to keep Ely in a growing lead in the contest to bring $20,000 to Ely’s Schools. This further shows people the value of the radio-collared bears to the region—another point for protecting them from hunters. The latest score is 2,523 for Ely Schools to 636 for 2nd place. That’s only 21 votes short of a 4 to 1 lead. Thank you.

Thank you for all you are doing.

—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center

This is Dr Lynn changing June's collar! It always amazes me how small these bears actually are!
Lily and Hope - The Black Bear and Cub - Page 17 40868_480427435498_263755115498_7473883_4325743_n

Lily and Hope - The Black Bear and Cub - Page 17 40868_480427435498_263755115498_7473883_4325743_n

I also think Hope has inherited her Grandma's nose!!

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