Roundleaf dogwood - Sept 2, 2013This is the year with the fewest visits to feeding stations by radio-collared bears. Granted, some of the bears are now visiting hunters’ bait sites, but mothers and cubs are out there bringing down chokecherry trees (Prunus virginianus) and mountain ash (Sorbus americana) trees to get the berries, and round-leafed dogwood berries (Cornus rugosa) are still ripening.
Faith moved to a remote area in late May and hasn’t visited a feeding site this summer. She may not have even seen a person other than us.
No radio-collared bear has ever entered Bear Head Lake State Park campground even though June’s territory comes within 50 yards of it across a narrow channel of water.
Aster came within 0.4 mile of it a few days ago but no closer. This afternoon, she was over a mile away from it at the edge of the park using a very small area since 2 PM. We wonder if she found a good patch of berries, is making a den, or dropped her radio-collar. If she doesn’t show more movement tomorrow, we’ll have to consider taking a look. It would take hours to walk through the woods to where she is.
Lily covered a lot of ground with her cubs today around the edges of June’s territory and may have visited her old rock den that June visited yesterday.
At the Bear Center, Judy Thon and the staff do enrichment for the three bears. Enrichment is a treat, a puzzle, or something new for the bears. 
Lucky with watermelon - Sept 5, 2013Yesterday, the treat for Lucky was a half watermelon and then a whole one to see what he would do. He was able to open his mouth wider than we thought.
Thank you for the support you are showing in this trying time. Madeleine Ostrowski created a super video “We Stand By You” at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=le5GRLWnyDs, and top naturalist Barry Kent Mackay of Ontario wrote a terrific blog that came to our attention today. He makes the point that biologists everywhere should be coming to our aid and standing up in defense of science considering the way the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is working to end research that comes up with inconvenient facts. He also mentions the educational importance of the Den Cams (http://www.bornfreeusa.org/weblog_canada.php?p=3809&more=1).
Again, we and the volunteers all ate well, thanks to you, after a busy day.
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center
All photos taken today unless otherwise noted.