Today was a day of spreading the word about bears and protection. David Hoole of Channel 6, Duluth, accompanied Lynn to change the batteries in Jo’s GPS unit. The program will be on the Northland’s News Center news on Monday night, May 23. Jo was her usual sweet self. The cub was out of sight and probably up a tree. We didn’t stick around long after changing the batteries to find out. The spot on her back where she lost hair scrambling out of the tight rock den last fall now has lost the little hair that was left. She should grow new hair there this summer.
Lily moved over 3 miles today, including a move of over a mile in a half hour. Faith would be scrambling to keep up on that move. Who knows what happens sometimes to prompt such fast moves. The usual rate of travel is half that speed. She is far out in the boonies. More video from our time with them on May 10 is posted at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qafu_7GNPKY.
June spent the day in a small area again. Picture of June's cubs above from May 17.
Representative Phyllis Kahn is a bulldog. She is doing all she can toward saving radio-collared bears. She attached her bill as an amendment to another bill and got it passed in the House today. The St Paul Pioneer Press immediately called to do a story on that. Representative David Dill and Senator Tom Rukavina spoke strongly in favor of support. It passed 69-63 and now goes to a conference committee where it could be deleted from the bill. Meanwhile, the vote is a statement in support of the bears. The drumbeat for protection continues. This bill only mandates that the DNR must send letters to hunters in the study area asking them to spare radio-collared bears. It does not give them legal protection. Meanwhile, you, Team Protect, various legislators, and hunter T. R. Michels are working toward that goal. T. R. is amassing your comments on his Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Protect-Minnesotas-Research-Bears/160331730697185 to give to the commissioner and the legislature. He also wrote a blog on the Minneapolis Star Tribune website supporting the research at http://www.startribune.com/sports/outdoors/blogs/122224644.html. This man knows how to get the word out and what he is talking about.
The link to show support for making the black bear Minnesota’s state mammal is at http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/BlackBear-MNState-Mammal/. Anyone, anywhere, of all ages, can sign it if you have an email address.
Voting competition for the $500,000 we are trying to get for the International Wolf Center is stiff at http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/411543539-international-wolf-center?src=twitter. How ferocious must the competition be to be ahead of Lily’s army? We are in 9th place with 6 days to go. Voting ends May 25. The International Wolf Center and the North American Bear Center both recognize the importance of education and wild lands for bears and wolves, and we are working together toward those ends. We want to help them, and they have and will continue to help us. This is a big opportunity. Each person gets only one vote in this contest.
Thank you for all you are doing.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center