Visitors to our area are eager to see and learn more about the wild animals that call the North Country home. I was reminded of that fact again recently on a visit to the nonprofit Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary near Orr.
It had been years since I’d visited the sanctuary during their regular business hours, but we had out-of-town guests who had specifically asked to visit the sanctuary, so we loaded up our van and took the drive. I wasn’t sure what to expect.
Turns out, the place was packed. It was a nice evening, with surprisingly few insects of the biting variety. We got there before the main crowds, but soon enough the viewing deck was wall-to-wall, mostly with families towing kids, all of them seeming to be having a great time.
When we first arrived, there were just three chunky old bruins lounging next to feeding stations, slowly shoveling the mix of dried fruits, nuts, and grains into their gaping maws. It was a bit comical, but not hardly entertaining, at least for me, since I see bears regularly at our homestead in Vermilion Lake Township.
Since we were packed in pretty close there on the viewing deck, however, I was able to listen in on the conversations between the others nearby and their excitement was palpable. If the old males weren’t interesting enough, there were dozens of ravens squawking from the surrounding woods, red squirrels darting about, and goldfinches hanging out in the bare branches of a nearby tree— and it was all a source of speculation and wonder.
“What’s making all that noise?” more than one person asked of the constant racket the ravens were generating from just outside our view. “They sound like monkeys,” one person quipped. That’s when one of the sanctuary staff commented that they’ve sometimes jokingly told the curious that they’re Northwoods howler monkeys, which I could see as believable to those unfamiliar with the sound and persistence of ravens.
I tapped my former training as a naturalist to answer a few of the queries from those in my vicinity and folks were always friendly and grateful for the information.
But soon the focus shifted elsewhere. As the evening went on, more bears started to arrive. First it was the yearlings, that many of those on the deck referred to as cubs and wondered why they were unattended by a mother. I mentioned how mother bears typically send their yearlings packing sometime in early summer when they’re ready to mate again.
Interest in the yearlings disappeared immediately, however, when three actual cubs arrived with their mother, followed by another group of three cubs with their mother. While the first group of cubs remained in the woods and were only visible for short periods, the second group offered up a prime performance. While momma fed at one of the feeding stations located next to the viewing deck, the three cubs cavorted for an hour, first on the ground and then up high in a couple ash trees located next to the deck.
We were packed on the deck watching but no one seemed to mind. We were mesmerized by the cub’s antics.
It got me thinking about how our wildlife here has become such a draw. Between the Vince Shute Sanctuary, and the North American Bear Center and the International Wolf Center in Ely, or the Sax-Zim Bog, which annually attracts thousands of birders from around the world, our wild neighbors are contributing big time to our local economy, just for being here. Maybe they deserve a bit more of our appreciation.
Want to visit the Vince Shute Sanctuary? It’s open to the public from 5-8 p.m., Tuesday-Sunday, unless of inclement weather. You’ll find it about three miles east of the village of Nett Lake just off Hwy. 23.