They keep us guessing
September 25, 2010 – 8:15 PM CDT
Most bears are now resting deeply during the day. The consistency of their GPS readings shows they barely move. The exception today was Juliet. She and her 3 cubs crossed Hwy 169. Fortunately there’s little traffic this time of year. They continue to roam and forage, giving us no clue where they will settle in for the winter. It will need to be a roomy den for the 4 of them!
Braveheart arrived in the vicinity of her dug den about 6:30 PM last night and rested 125 yards away from it until about 5:30 PM tonight. Then she moved directly to the den—only to leave it again just after 7:00 PM to forage nearby. Braveheart had rested near this same den before then roamed up to 2 miles away in her territory for 3 days before returning. We believe this is her chosen den, but when she will settle in remains a mystery.
Lily and Hope spent another day in the alder swamp near their dug den. About 6:30 PM tonight they began to roam, first moving to a forest opening where I suspect they fed on vegetation. By 8:50 PM they were back in the alder swamp. We anxiously wait for her to move toward her newly dug den.
Jo’s GPS readings have been sporadic and I suspect her collar is twisted around. She is deep in a safe roadless area, but it will be an excursion to reach her. Perhaps tomorrow.
Ursula’s GPS stopped transmitting early yesterday morning as she was headed back to where we suspect she has a den. A check today on her radio-signal confirmed that she is indeed back in that area.
As these bears settle into dens we will swap out their big clunky radio-collars for the small, narrow ones that just arrived. The smaller collars will be more comfortable and make curling up in a hibernating position much easier.
Thanks to you, Ely School District (Ely Esy) remains in the lead by over 1000 votes in the Care2 school contest. With only one vote per person every vote is important. The link to vote is http://www.care2.com/schoolcontest/2704/054/.
Your dedication to Lily and Hope and the Ely area has not gone unnoticed. This week the Ely Echo ran an article “Ely's fans from afar strike again” which is available online at http://www.elyecho.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=2&ArticleID=10693. It acknowledges the contributions of Lily fans in naming Ely ‘America’s Coolest Small Town’, winning $100,000 for the NABC in the Chase contest, winning $100,000 for Bear Head Lake State Park in the Coke contest, and the current lead in the Care2 contest. Well deserved recognition!
Thank you for all you do.
—Sue Mansfield, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center