Bears

Bears have lived in Wisconsin for hundreds of years, mostly in the north, in the big woods of the North Country. But in recent years they’ve begun moving south, into the central regions of the state, and more recently into the southern counties. The DNR estimates suggest from 22,000 to 40,000 black bears living in our state.

This past week a bear was spotted in Waunakee, just north of Madison. And recently bears have been spotted at Wisconsin Dells, Portage, and near Oshkosh. People are curious, a bit nervous and somewhat unsettled about bears moving into populated areas. Some suggest a bear is just a big dog. They are not. A male bear will weigh from 250-350 pounds and more and the females 120-180 pounds and more.

June and July is the mating season for bears, so they are on the prowl, looking for food, searching for love, and often creating quite a nuisance besides getting themselves killed on the highways. The DNR suggests: take down your bird feeder, be careful with garbage and never feed a bear. Oh, and don’t crowd up close to one for a photo. Remember, they are wild animals and should be treated as such.


THE OLD TIMER SAYS: To know what you believe, you’ve got to know what you don’t believe.

JERRY IS NOW ON FACE BOOK: http://www.facebook.com/jerryapps

WRITING WORKSHOPS

August 8-14. Week-long writing workshop at The Clearing in Door County. “Writing From Your Life.” The class is full, but you can put your name on a waiting list. There is still room in my day-long workshop, Saturday, October 30. The Clearing Folk School www.theclearing.org P.O. Box 65 | 12171 Garrett Bay Road | Ellison Bay, Wisconsin 54210 Toll Free: 877.854.3225 | clearing@theclearing.org Monday - Friday 8-4

UPCOMING EVENTS

June 8, 7:00 p.m. Launch for Horse Drawn Days book, Barnes and Noble West Madison.

June 9, 10:30 a.m. College Days, UW-Madison campus. Ames County Historical Fiction Series.

June 12, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Horse Drawn Days at Stonefield Village, Cassville, WI. Discussion of book and demonstrations with horses and horse drawn equipment.
June 15, 12:00 noon. Wis Historical Society Museum on the Square. Horse Drawn Days.

June 16, 11:45-12:30. Wisconsin Public Radio, Larry Meiller Show. Horse Drawn Days.

June 18, 11:00 – 11:50 a.m. SE Wisconsin Festival of Books, UW-Waukesha campus. Ames County Novels.

July 13, 7:00 p.m. Patterson Memorial Library, Wild Rose. Central Wis. Launch of Horse Drawn Days.