Lily Fan Gathering, Nature, and History - UPDATE November 9, 2015
Sandhill Cranes
Sandhill cranes
The Gathering at Mystic Lake Hotel was as expected?wonderful Lily Fans having fun and making me thankful for what we have together. They reminded me how Lily Fans as a group strive to spread the truth about bears. I felt the dedication and friendship this group represented. Mystic Bearhead gathering November 7, 2015
The next day, Donna and I changed plans and decided to hike a place she has long wanted to visit?Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. It is a big swath of wetland habitat that follows the Minnesota River through Minneapolis to the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers. I left my big camera behind so I wouldn?t get lost in photography, but then we both lamented missing good pictures. The spot turned out to be richer in nature than we anticipated. An eagle flew over, and hundreds of ducks took flight to land where they started after the eagle passed. Trumpeter swans, North America?s largest bird, stayed put, maybe knowing they were big enough not to worry. A snapping turtle was still active in this unusually mild fall, so we snapped a picture with my little pocket camera.
Snapping turtle
Snapping turtle
That evening, Donna and I stayed with former DNR Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner, Allen and Kim Garber. They made decisions in 1999-2002 that set me on the path that ended up being the Bear Center, the Den Cams, and all the research since 1999. Allen is a soft-spoken man who can?t be buffaloed. His history as an army captain in the central highlands of the Vietnam War, a paratrooper, a SWAT team leader for the FBI, and a police chief in Minnesota gave him the leadership ability to stand up to intimidation and stick to decisions he believes are right. In my case, he listened to DNR naysayers, including David Garshelis, did a personal investigation of motives, and told powerful officials to get on board or walk. He respects people who give him their opinions but know enough to follow orders when a decision is made. After his visit with me and the bears in the field, he was the only one in the DNR who truly knew what we do. He stood his ground and moved my study forward. He told a little about this in his book ?Striving to Be the Best.? He could afford to be fair because he was not part of the old boy network and was not trying to make friends in high places so he could get a job with the DNR when the governorship that appointed him passed to new hands with the next election. He had the full support of Governor Jesse Ventura. He shakes his head at what the present DNR officials are trying to do to end my research, and he had the courage to testify in the hearing a year and a half ago. He still plays hockey at 73. It was a joy for Donna and I to spend a night in their home. We became friends shortly after he was appointed Commissioner in 1999.
Today, we looked for Sandhill Cranes in Crex Meadows in Wisconsin but missed the big flight out in the morning and the big flight in at dusk?they say about 11,000. We saw a few. The closest ones were in a cutover corn field.
Back at the cabin this evening, wolves howled, a great-horned owl hooted, and a beaver slapped its tail?good sounds back home in the familiar forest.
Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center
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