In a scenario reminiscent of the separation last year, June tracked down ‘Lily the Interloper’ deep inside June’s territory. June was good enough to give up part of her old territory for Lily, and she can only do so much. Sue saw the confrontation developing as the two bears’ GPS locations were approaching each other. She grabbed her video camera, drove 5 miles and walked 1.6 miles in the woods to Lily. By then June and her cubs had moved nearly a mile toward Lily. Lily’s family was tearing apart birch logs for grubs. Suddenly, Lily began earnestly grunting and ran for a big white pine. Hope and Faith ran too. Faith climbed out of sight but Lily and Hope stood alert at the base staring intently into the distance. Lily wandered in that direction a ways, stood up, glimpsed June’s dark shape, and ran for a big white pine. This time Hope climbed and Lily followed (picture left). June came onto the scene ready to rule her territory. She was blustery up the tree toward Lily and family and she pounced toward Sue (picture right). June was not happy. She turned to scent-marking the area by rubbing on trees, walking over bushes, and stomp-walking.
June coming onto the scene of Lily and a cub was reminiscent of last year on May 31 when June appeared, Hope climbed, and Lily left. This time, she stayed, and it was June that eventually left with her cubs after about a half hour of scent-marking. Video of the encounter between Lily and June will be posted later tonight at http://www.youtube.com/user/bearstudy#g/u.
Elsewhere in the forest, Jo and her cub moved a mile, again brushing close to a town but safely staying at least 160 yards in the woods.
RC is still with her yearlings Bill, Jim, and Doug, named after the Den Cam Team.
Juliet made a big move—3.5 miles, which is far enough for us to wonder if she is still with her 3 yearlings. We doubly wonder that because it was about this date in 2007 when she separated from her first litter—on May 22nd. We’ll be checking their signals this evening to see how far apart Juliet, Shirley, and Sharon are.
Rep. Phyllis Kahn was a hero in the House yesterday as she presented her bill to help the radio-collared bears. And Lily fans were the heroes behind her. Phyllis had a stack of your letters. She talked about all of you. She talked about the value of the bears to the school children that have been in the news, thanks in part to the Education Outreach Team and efforts of individual teachers and their work toward making the black bear the Minnesota state mammal. She had all her facts together as can be seen at http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/htv/programa.asp?ls_year=87&event_id=3759 in the video between 2:27:34 and 2:42:00. The vote ends with a cheer as her amendment is passed 69 to 63 over a recommendation by Rep. Tom Hackbarth to vote no. You’ll see good support from Rep. David Dill and Rep. Tom Rukavina. The short story about it in the St Paul Pioneer Press is at http://www.twincities.com/politics/ci_18101379?nclick_check=1 and a new story in the Minneapolis Star Tribune is at http://www.startribune.com/politics/statelocal/122370444.html .
T. R. Michels continued his blitz to gain support from hunters and all and set the record straight about the research. Today, he used the words of a Lily fan that I hope all the legislators will read http://www.startribune.com/sports/outdoors/blogs/122328084.html . We need as many people as possible to visit T.R.’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Protect-Minnesotas-Research-Bears/160331730697185 and leave a comment in support of protection.
Team Protect continues to work hard for protection. The need now is for Lily fans in Minnesota to write to their state representatives and state senators to urge support for protection. Team Protect sent this Legislator Finder http://www.gis.leg.mn/OpenLayers/districts/ to help you all find your legislators and send them an email or letter or both. We cannot give up. There was a question about whether more letters should be sent to the list of key legislators. Lily fans have already done that (Thank you!). We’re hoping new letter writers, especially hunters, emerge from T.R.’s efforts in that direction on his blogs.
Another need is to determine which legislators are on the conference committee and write them. We received an email from Rep. Phyllis Kahn saying, “Yesterday, the omnibus game and fish bill (SF 943) passed off the House floor with my amendment giving moderate protection to radio collared bears. The bill is likely to go to conference committee. Please urge the members of the committee, Governor Dayton, and the Commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources to support this language in the final bill.” Her amendment that was passed yesterday is in danger of being removed in the conference committee if they don’t hear support. That issue is mentioned in the Minneapolis Star Tribune article above.
As if that isn’t enough to do, the link to show support for making the black bear Minnesota’s state mammal is at http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/BlackBear-MNState-Mammal/.
And there is fierce competition for the top spots to win support for the International Wolf Center at http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/411543539-international-wolf-center?src=twitter. You are coming up with a lot of votes and working hard and keeping the Wolf Center in contention for $100,000, but it’s a scary race with so many organizations competing so hard. We are in 9th place with 2,665 votes and 5 days to go. Voting ends May 25. In this contest, each person gets only one vote and is done.
Out the window, gray tree frogs have joined the chorus of frogs and toads by night, and the bittern still is part of the chorus of loons, ravens, and returning warblers by day.
Today is Dot’s Day, but we will have to tell her story tomorrow, and what a story this bear has to tell.
Thank you for all you are doing.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center