Catching up
May 28, 2010 – 10:45 PM CDT
After 5 days of looking for Hope, we spent today catching up on other things. We could see from Lily’s GPS readings that she and Hope moved 0.36 miles to a new location. We assume they are continuing their reunion by playing, nursing, and foraging together as they did yesterday.
We worked hard today to locate Cal to change his GPS unit. We initially found him near a road but he moved off as we entered the woods. We headed back to the van and followed his signal until he was in an area where we could reach him. We parked and hiked 0.75 miles in a logging road. We spotted him foraging along the road. Cal looked back over his shoulder and bolted! Fortunately his GPS is still functioning after 10 days, so we may get another chance.
We got word this afternoon that Juliet was seen crossing an old RR grade with 3 cubs. That was good news! Hopefully she will be sighted again soon when we can connect with her to assess her injuries and re-collar her.
As we write this, June is traveling far outside her territory—further south than we have ever seen her. She may be looking to expand her territory to make room for her daughters Lily and Jewel and her granddaughter Hope.
Bears are currently feeding heavily on vegetation—mainly clover, dandelions, wild lettuce, and peavine. We’ve ground-checked areas where we see clusters of GPS locations and have found huge patches of lush vegetation.
We‘re humbled by your generous donations. Thank you SO much!
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, North American Bear Center