[00:00:01] Speaker A: There is a place in the remote Northwoods of Minnesota, North America. It's located near the town of orr, population approximately 300.
Outside of this town is an area where normal rules are put to one side. It's a place where humans and wildlife meet. It's a special place, wholly unique and not without its controversies. This is the Vince Schutte Wildlife Sanctuary run by the American Bear Association, ABA for short.
The ABA is dedicated to promoting a better understanding of black bears and all wildlife through education, observation and experience.
I'm your host, Philip Stubley, and welcome to the Bear Den.
Hello everyone. I hope you're doing well on this fine day. We have a fun episode ahead where ABA Vice President and local Minnesotan Northwoods resort owner Ross Coyer is joining us to talk about all things Northwoods. His resort, Cabino Pines, is located just six miles down the road from the sanctuary. And I wanted to get him into the bed and discuss if the close proximity to the sanctuary may or may not affect the bear activity there. It is a little bit more of a relaxed chat and we discuss his resort and its own fascinating history. We do talk about Ross's memories as a kid going to see Vince and how different it was before the sanctuary came into being. I think it's worth mentioning. It is nice to hear from someone who has lived in the north woods for the majority of their lives and their descriptions and passion for the area as well. But first we have the return of the the subspecies spotlight.
[00:01:31] Speaker A: For those unfamiliar with this segment, we acknowledge that North American black bears are versatile and adaptable creatures. So adaptable that there are 16 subspecies all living within North America. They're classified as subspecies because of slight variations in appearance or difference in DNA. So join us as we explore these subspecies and see what makes them unique in their own way.
Today we cast our spotlight on the Florida black bear, scientific name Ursus americanus floridanus.
So looking back in time, the population is historically estimated to have been around 12,000, immediately prior to the arrival of Europeans in the states. And they ranged throughout the state northwards and eastwards. By the 1970s, the Florida population was as low as 300 individuals. After a robust conservation effort, the Florida black bear was delisted as an endangered species in 2012. This was after a study using the IUCN Red List criteria was conducted and a Florida black bear management plan was put in place to prevent the species from being listed in the future.
The bear conservation rule was also brought in to provide further protections for the subspecies. They are listed as a recovered species with the population numbered at around 4,4000 individuals. In June 2015, state officials decided to allow bear hunting in Florida for the first time in 20 years.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced that the hunt would be open in four of the seven bear management units in the state.
The 2015 hunt killed 304 bears before it was called off just two days into the week long season. There was no hunt in 2016 and it was further decided that no hunts would take place in 2017 and 2018.
In recent times, there have been moves to reinstate a regulated black bear hunt in Florida, which at time of recording is still being debated. Interestingly, Florida black bears do not hibernate despite going into winter dens. Their behaviour is referred to as winter lethargy. They den between December to late March. Many Florida black bears may be active during the winter months with activity varying between individuals. There is an exception to this behavior, that of pregnant females who do have to den.
Florida black bears are surprisingly found in Florida and also southern Georgia and southern Alabama. Flatwoods, swamps, scrub oak and hammock are their preferred habitats. The various oaks native to Florida all produce a different kind of acorn. And acorns are one of the bear's favorite seasonal foods. Another favorite is the saw palmetto. For those who aren't as familiar with saw palmetto like myself, it's. It's a species of palm tree that's native to southeastern states of America such as Florida. And it's a fruit that's been harvested for years and used as a herbal remedy, particularly for men's health issues.
[00:04:23] Speaker B: Maybe I should look into it.
[00:04:25] Speaker A: Bears will eat the heart and the berries, which are seasonal. Pregnant female bears may den in areas dense with palmettos.
Today, primary threats come from habitat loss, fragmentation and human bear conflict, including including vehicle strikes when crossing roads.
[00:04:41] Speaker A: And that's your Florida black bear. And now after that knowledge injection, we'll welcome Ross Coyer into the bear den. So this chat was recorded at the start of the 2025 season in June.
[00:04:55] Speaker A: So. Hi Ross, welcome to the bear den.
[00:04:58] Speaker B: Would you like to. Hi there. Would you like to introduce yourself and just let us know where you're talking to us from?
[00:05:05] Speaker C: Of course. My name is Ross Coyer and I'm from Cabanau Pines Resort on Pelican Lake in Ore, Minnesota.
[00:05:15] Speaker A: Oh, nice.
[00:05:16] Speaker B: And you recently just got back from.
[00:05:18] Speaker A: A trip to the UK as well.
[00:05:20] Speaker B: How was that?
[00:05:21] Speaker C: It was incredible.
My now wife and I, who is from London, went back to visit her family and friends and to tie up some loose ends in in her UK life so that she could move here and be with me at Cavanaugh Pines full time. And we got to spend a little over three weeks in London with what was.
What was apparently just miraculously incredible weather and timing for what was a beautiful spring and really a great time for us to see everybody and to do all the things that we needed to.
And even for me as a tourist, got to do some of the fun things in the UK and see the coast and some history and get a little bit of a break going into the season here at Cabana Pines, which we pretty much had to dive right into when we got back to Minnesota.
[00:06:27] Speaker B: Yeah. Just before we dive into the cabin opines, I just wanted to ask you a little bit about. So you've pretty much lived in the north woods pretty much your whole life, right?
[00:06:37] Speaker C: Yeah. Yeah. So Cabana Pines has been in my family since 1906, and I'm a fifth generation owner and operator and I grew up here every summer, my whole life. I did not go to school in or our family actually went to Illinois during the winters where my mom's family was from and where there was more of an opportunity for work for my parents and at the time, more opportunity for schooling for my sister and I and not those brutal northern Minnesota winters that some of you may have read about, heard about, maybe even experienced, which can be.
Yeah, you can feel like you need to hibernate like a bear.
[00:07:26] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:07:27] Speaker C: Just kind of go to sleep for four or five months and skip it all.
[00:07:31] Speaker B: Yeah, I wouldn't blame you.
[00:07:33] Speaker A: Oh, wow.
[00:07:34] Speaker B: So fifth generation runner of the family business.
That's pretty cool.
[00:07:39] Speaker C: Yeah, the. The first generation, they were homesteaders and then the resort was established in the late 30s and Cabana Pines was actually a trading post on Pelican Lake. It's roughly halfway between where you enter Pelican Lake on the west end, where I know a lot of the volunteers at the sanctuary have enjoyed the lake from that land. You know, they're on the west end.
That's where there was a trail from Net Lake over to Pelican. And they, they would come across the lake and Cabino Pines was about halfway, or the property that is now Cabino Pines, where there was a trading post and where there was a campsite and eventually some cabins for those travelers who were headed into ore to get supplies. And so they evolved into accommodations around that time as they were building roads and people were traveling more and tourism was becoming a more of a mainstay and people really learned how good the fishing was at that time too. And the word started getting out and it became a business then. That was the second generation, my great grandfather, who established Cabino Pines and may.
[00:09:00] Speaker B: Have known Vince quite possibly, I guess.
Yeah. So just Pelican Lake. It's. It's well known for fishing, isn't it? That's sort of what everyone comes there for, isn't it?
[00:09:10] Speaker C: Correct. Yeah, yeah.
[00:09:12] Speaker B: Fishing.
[00:09:12] Speaker C: Fishing. First recreation is. Is a fun industry too on Pelican Lake, but it's world class for several, several very popular species.
[00:09:23] Speaker B: Oh, fun. So, yeah. Well, I guess here's your chance to plug the resort. I mean, you've mentioned Caverno Pines, obviously, but I kind of thought it might be nice to sort of say when, when the resorts open. You've said that you're just kind of going into the season and figured what you could like fishing, I suppose, what activities people can do there. And you can talk about the. If you're expecting a busy season as well ahead.
[00:09:44] Speaker C: So mid May through mid September is our busy season and the fishing is peak in July and June when we're generally very full. Our cabins and our campground. And we're a fishing resort, but we're also a family resort too and we cater to younger families, the kids especially. There's lots of fun activities here around the resort and it's just, it's camp for everybody. It's camp for the whole family because the parents love to be on the lake as well. And we provide just a very traditional, very classic family vacation to the lake. And we work very hard to make. Make it a fun experience for everybody.
And having this incredible environment to share and to explore for our guests is really that, that's why we're here. And what we really strive the most to protect and to educate our guests and the people, which is why we've had such a good relationship with the Vince Judy Wildlife Sanctuary. It's our main attraction. We recommend to all of our guests that they have to consider a trip out to see you guys and to experience really the most natural part of our environment and, and to see the, not just the bears, but all of the, the wildlife here in northern Minnesota. And so usually our, our guests are families that have come for generations. Many of them, they take their evening every year that they come up and they go out and see the bears.
And we, we do host a lot of photographers as well throughout the season and a lot of nature lovers and people who just come up just to see the bears. And so it's, it's been a. An incredible Relationship for Cavanaugh Pines over the years and one that we would absolutely want to continue and hopefully for the best of the organization.
[00:11:57] Speaker B: Yeah, definitely.
So do you remember when you first visited the sanctuary? Like, I guess was it when you were quite young?
[00:12:04] Speaker C: Yeah, I. It was definitely a kiddo. And we would go out with the family before it was the Vince Tschuti Wildlife Sanctuary, because as locals, we knew of Vince and as his local popularity grew and. And knowing that he was comfortable with. With visitors coming out to see his bears, we would. As a kind of a. A novelty for our. For our friends. Sometime we would send guests out there too. It was always hard to explain which driveway it was. People would often get lost in the woods trying to find the place.
[00:12:41] Speaker A: Oh, gosh.
[00:12:42] Speaker C: And it would. It would even. It would even be fun. I remember if it wasn't the first time, it was one of the very first times being in the back of a pickup truck and driving out to the sanctuary with probably five, six, seven friends and family.
They would throw a mattress in the back of the pickup truck for everybody to. To sit on.
And we would just go out to see Vince and the bears and we would bring some. Some snacks or treats. If anybody had anything that was acceptable or. Or available leftover kind of stuff. We knew that they loved watermelons and fruits and. And snacks. And so we'd go out there and Vince would always just be sitting in his folding chair and there'd be bears all over the place. And I. So I have memories of it just being Vince's place, his home.
And he was a just a really kind man and.
And would just talk to you all night long and. And tell you about the bears and what their names were.
And one story I have of those very early years in particular was my grandfather Don, who had one of the. The very first video cameras. And it was one that. That would sit on your shoulder. And it. It had a lens cap on it that. That hung on a little rope. And he was filming a bear. And the bear started walking towards him, and that lens cap was just hanging down below the lens, kind of swaying back and forth. And this bear just kept walking towards my grandpa. He was just zoned in on something. And my grandpa kept walking backwards and backwards and backwards until I think he ra.
Was a tree or a building behind him. And the bear came up and he nibbled on that lens cap that was hanging from underneath the lens. And it obviously startled my grandpa, but he. He stayed calm. The bear realized it was just a plastic piece and. And Just went about his business, just kind of wandered off and. Yeah.
[00:14:59] Speaker B: Not interested anymore. Well, gone eat it.
[00:15:02] Speaker C: Yeah. Right. And.
And, and the joke was that. Or to this day, what we believe was that that that lens cap probably looked like a cookie.
[00:15:12] Speaker A: No, I could see that. Crazy times.
[00:15:14] Speaker C: Unfortunately, he was. He was not recording when that happened because that would have been. That would have been a good clip.
[00:15:21] Speaker B: Oh, why do you have the camera?
He wasn't even using it.
[00:15:26] Speaker C: I remember the first deck that was built and, and having to walk from the cars over to the deck. That was pre.
Pre bus.
And they did have escorts at the time. That was probably first. The first few years that the organization was established and when they were still kind of evolving into what it. What it is now, initially kind of being open to the public and managing the popularity that had grown and that I. That. And the original part of the deck is still there. That's the big. The big wide piece towards the backside.
And I've got memories of that. And just.
Yeah. You know, year after year. It's something that just doesn't get old for people. And it remains a very unique experience. And one, like I said earlier, that we try to recommend and insist that all of our guests do if they're first timers or if they're 50th timers.
[00:16:32] Speaker B: Well, I suppose as well. I mean, especially you go at different times of the year, you're going to see different things. And I'm sure there'll be people that go. And they kind of enjoy seeing if they know a particular bear. They kind of see that it's back again. I know it's. People get quite a kick out of that.
[00:16:48] Speaker C: Absolutely.
[00:16:49] Speaker B: You're now actually vice president of the board as well.
[00:16:54] Speaker C: And.
[00:16:55] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:16:56] Speaker B: This isn't a test. I'm just going to ask you, enjoy your time on the board or how long have you been.
[00:17:03] Speaker C: I do. I. I joined the board, I believe it was 2018, and I wanted to be a young voice and a local voice for the sanctuary. And I was very, very excited for the future. And I had a good relationship with the director at the time and a few board members who I had known well enough to feel comfortable working with. And.
[00:17:35] Speaker C: I think my biggest desire as a board member was to be that voice for the local community as well as the resort community on Pelican Lake, because it felt like there wasn't much of that. And the sanctuary is so important to the local community and the economy, and it just didn't have the representation that it needed.
And it would Be, I think, detrimental to the local community and the economy if we didn't have organizations like this and for a number of reasons. And we'll probably get into some of that as we're discussing here.
But being a young voice and then wanting to just continue that involvement and understanding and kind of know what's going on so that it could benefit our company here at Capital Pines as well as the sanctuary. And so it's been very enjoyable for me as I've gotten more involved here at Cabino Pines. I. I do feel a little guilty not having as much time to dedicate to the sanctuary. But we're in a place now where there is some new energy and some new. Some new accomplishments that have made things generally much better. In my experience, since I've been with the board, it's been exciting to see a of.
[00:19:08] Speaker B: Lot.
[00:19:08] Speaker C: Lot of the new projects that we've worked on come to pass and a lot of the new people who have a very strong desire to see it continue and a strong dedication to it as well.
And yeah, I think my experience has been incredible with the board, and I hope that I've helped to make an impact as well to further the organization and to continue helping the Bears and keeping the education at the forefront.
[00:19:47] Speaker B: No, definitely. I know you're definitely a voice that's appreciated when you're there at the meetings.
[00:19:55] Speaker B: You say you bring that local flavor, and you always got a very measured way of considering things.
There's definitely, like. Things like grants I know that you've secured for us that probably wouldn't have got otherwise.
[00:20:09] Speaker C: Yeah, the grant programs have been very instrumental in recent years.
My area of expertise, if there was one, is really the operations, I would say, and understanding the kind of. The moving parts and pieces of a business like this, because there's. There. There's so much that is required on a daily basis to keep things working and period. And knowing who to call when there's a situation where something is not working properly or there's repairs that are needed. And. And that's been a big part of my involvement, too, is. Is being able to have relationships with. With local organizations that we rely on to just to keep things moving.
And being six miles away at Cavanaugh Pines has helped over the years as far as proximity and helping with some major repairs over the years, and our relationship, too, with Stephanie and Ryan as important members of the organization.
[00:21:22] Speaker C: And you, Philip, and all of the volunteers that have come through over the years who we've gotten to be friends with. It's been it's been very important. And so, yeah, we want to do as much as we can.
[00:21:35] Speaker B: No, and you do. I mean, like you say, working at the resort, you.
[00:21:39] Speaker A: You have to.
[00:21:40] Speaker B: I'm sure you deal with things all the time. Fires you have to put out on a daily basis. So I'm sure all that kind of experience is really good and valuable for. For the aba. The reason I asked you into the.
[00:21:51] Speaker A: Bear den was because I thought it.
[00:21:52] Speaker B: Would be good to talk about how and if the activity at the sanctuary actually affects bear activity for you at the resort.
[00:22:00] Speaker A: Like you just said, you're six miles away.
[00:22:02] Speaker B: If you often. Do you see bears at the resort or have there been any incidents, particularly, how has that kind of played out?
[00:22:08] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, thanks for asking. I have a handful of stories, bear stories from Cabino Pines throughout my life.
[00:22:17] Speaker B: And tell them, please.
[00:22:19] Speaker C: It's been a.
Yeah, well, there's been a very significant decrease in the amount of bear activity that we've had at Cabino Pines. And it's mainly because of one reason.
And I'll. I'll say that on average, most of my life and my experience here at Cabanau Pines, we would see two to three bears in a season or hear about a bear. Maybe not see it, but hear from a customer or a camper that there was a Baron camp.
And generally we would know as a result of some trash that was gotten into. And the way that it was set up was there. There was a garbage can located at every campsite and every cabin, and we're not remote enough.
There's enough activity in our neighborhood, if you wanted to call it one, that campers generally never had to worry about bear boxes or hanging food or bears regularly coming in to the point where we were able to have garbage cans at every site for years and years from the time when that was even possible until when this change happened. And that was generally what they were in for is something that smelled good. Food scraps, usually, or wrappers that were in the trash and maybe were left in the trash a few days too long, whether it was missed by one of the staff members or the pickup of that. That can just wasn't considered because there was nobody there. But maybe somebody just haphazardly threw something in that can without us knowing, and then the bear comes and finds it.
And at the same time, our dumpster, which everything would eventually go into and then be picked up by the local garbage company, was not on site. It was actually set back up in the woods of several hundred yards and kind of out of sight, where it did get some activity, Bear activity. And bears are smart enough. I've seen them be able to climb up onto a dumpster, lift the lid up, get into the dumpster, find the bag of trash that they want, throw the trash out of the dumpster, climb back out, and then have a meal.
Then you go up, and you just find the garbage and all everything strewn around, and you just kind of shake your head, roll your eyes, pick it all up, and go on with the day. Fast forward to 2020 and the first summer of COVID And our operation had to make some very drastic changes, as did everybody in the world.
And to operate that season successfully, we had to change some of the protocol around how we emptied the trash at the resort here. And so we brought that dumpster from the back lot of the property down to within the resort and within walking distance of most of the campsites and the cabins. The main reason for wanting that dumpster to be centrally located was then we put the responsibility of emptying trash in the hands of our customers so that we weren't handling their waste, which was part of the protocol for Covid.
In addition to that, we removed all of the cans from around the resort, every cabin and every campsite, which then gave them no option to empty their trash except for into the dumpster. And it was kind of twofold. We knew that by putting that small obligation onto our guests, it would actually save us a little bit of time every week having to go around and empty all those cans, which was a big job and really not much of a burden for guests. And if it is, if they're in a hurry, they're checking out and they don't have the time, or maybe they physically can't manage that chore, then they leave it in the cabin where it's safe on the inside.
And as a third benefit, which we had absolutely no idea was going to happen, since that change, we have not had a bear at Cavanagh Pines.
It could be a coincidence, but I don't believe that it is. And I believe that having all of that trash centrally located and close to the most active part of the resort, where there's people and cars and other smells and things that are going to deter them from coming in, and no other trash cans or receptacles within the resort or the outskirts of the resort, they have no reason to come in.
And, yeah, it's been a very stark contrast between those two time frames.
And. And I can say it with almost 100 certainty that it's always Been and now almost certainly the result of that trash being available for them. And when it's not, they go, they go somewhere else. And so it's not like suddenly their path of movement changed because they, they would always come into the resort now they just, they have no reason to anymore. And so we don't see them around here. I don't think anybody's seen one even within several hundred yards of the property or on the roads either.
Ultimately, I believe that's the key, is to keep the property clean and to not give them an opportunity to get into anything that they're interested in getting into food, period. They can't if there's nothing for them to find and they're going to go somewhere else.
[00:28:26] Speaker B: Well, yeah. And as well, we sort of. It helps underline the point, I think I've said in the past, about removing an attractant. You're removing the potential for a human bear conflict. And bears, I mean, how do I put this? Like, they are quite lazy. So, you know, if they, if it's, if it takes a bit of effort, they'll just decide, oh, I'm gonna go look for something like an easier meal, essentially.
[00:28:48] Speaker C: Yeah. Yeah. And I, I have memories of the bears wandering through in broad daylight and there were always very skittish and really only interested in and something to eat usually. And of all of the bears we've had, there's never been a bear that was a nuisance to the level of having to intervene with the Department of Natural Resources or anything like that.
And most would say, most of our guests, that Cabino Pines is a very clean environment. We strive to be on an immaculate property. In fact, one of the items on our scavenger hunt that the kids do is a, is a piece of, is a piece of litter. They actually have to find a piece of trash. It's a challenge.
[00:29:43] Speaker B: That's kind of funny.
[00:29:45] Speaker C: Yeah. So our experience has always been very positive with the bears. We've never had any damage or any injures and, or injuries or, or any guests that were, were frightened or startled by bear activity at all.
In fact, of the times that it does happen, it's usually pretty exciting. It's kind of a buzz around camp for a couple of days if there was one around. But since we moved that dumpster and removed the garbage cans and people have been emptying their own trash, it's been a non issue.
[00:30:21] Speaker B: No, that's something that's really good. I think, like I say, it's lessons that can be learned there for sure.
Do you see any other animals at the resort particularly?
[00:30:28] Speaker C: We had a moose in camp last summer. Oh, wow. I was, I was fortunate to see it run across the driveway and down to the lake where pretty sure it was just kind of coming in to take a drink. And he ran back out and through the campground. We had some good moose tracks through one of the campsites and nobody got a picture of him, but I got to see him with a couple of guests and there were some campers that saw him walk through where. And we've seen more moose activity in the last few years. It seems at least to some degree, that, that they're. They're coming back and getting to be a little bit more common as far as sightings in our area, they tend to be more to the east around the boundary waters and to the north. But this is moose territory.
[00:31:18] Speaker B: Yeah. What's the.
Yeah, also I was going to just say, I think.
[00:31:21] Speaker A: Is it.
[00:31:22] Speaker B: I've never seen a moose around the area, but I know, I think people used to say that was around. There's a place called Echo Trail where you could. You could go and try and see a moose. I know I've done that once or twice and always struck out, but now I just have to come to Cavanaugh Pines, apparently. So there we go.
[00:31:36] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, the Echo Trail. That's where we send folks if they want to try to catch a glimpse. And early morning, if you're on the trail at sunrise, your odds go up pretty significantly.
And yeah, it's a case of good timing if you get the opportunity to see one.
And yeah, it's very wild around the lake. Then the ecosystem is very healthy and the lake has an incredible amount of bird species. Eagles, pelicans, loons.
The loons were deafening a few nights ago, just singing all night long. It was really pretty.
And. And then out on the lake up along the north shore, actually towards the sanctuary, there's quite a few bears that are spotted along the shoreline pretty, pretty regularly up around the. The northwest side when fishermen are up in the. The stumps fishing bass or along the. The north side catching crappies, they'll see bears come down to the lake to get drinks.
[00:32:40] Speaker B: For a drink. Yeah, they are interested. Like what do you sort of get up to in sort of off season in childhood you went to Illinois. I just wonder what, what you do now. You travel around because you've got a pilot's license. I'm correct.
[00:32:53] Speaker C: Right.
[00:32:54] Speaker B: And do you have. Do you have your own plane?
[00:32:56] Speaker C: Yes. So we've got a Cessna 172.
And it's located here in or at the airport.
And that's been a very fun hobby that I'm very fortunate to, to be able to do because it's beautiful from, from a mile up. And one of the places we like to fly over is the sanctuary.
I, I got to take my sister up over Memorial Weekend and my nephew and we. It was opening weekend, it was Sunday and It was about 5 o'. Clock. I think they were feeding because, because we flew over, we made a couple of loops and we saw a bunch of little black dots out in the field.
[00:33:40] Speaker B: Oh, that's so cool. It was in 2016 I did fly up. It was when I forgot his last name. John, you know, who used to help drive the bus.
[00:33:49] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:33:50] Speaker B: Went up in his plane, I think. Well, some sort of Cessna as well. But that was really cool. I remember, remember just there was a lot more water in, just a lot wetter than I expected from above. Yeah.
[00:34:02] Speaker C: Yeah, that's.
Oh, there's a lake there. Oh, there's a, there's another one over there.
[00:34:07] Speaker B: 10,000 lakes. They're not lying.
[00:34:09] Speaker C: And so your question about the off season too.
So we do live here year round now. I've been in Ore full time at Cavanaugh Pines since that same year that I started with the board 2018. I moved up here full time for a couple of reasons, not really knowing if I was going to enjoy it because the winters can be very brutal, harsh, but also incredibly fun and beautiful. And I learned pretty quickly that the environment, which is completely different, can be exciting. And I think that there's just a different level of, of beauty and nature and enjoyment that you can have in and around the additional layers that you have to wear.
[00:35:01] Speaker B: I was gonna say no bad weather, just bad clothing.
[00:35:03] Speaker A: Right.
[00:35:05] Speaker C: It's really become home for me, the first home that I ever had because we moved around a lot. I lived in Minneapolis in the winters, Duluth in the winters, even lived in Arizona for, for two winters in the off season. And having this now as a place to call home, it has been really beneficial in my life. And now having a partner with my wife Lara in the business and in life has been incredible too. And for her and I, in the off season, it's really a good chance for us to unwind a little bit and get our relaxation and traveling and get caught up on administration and operations in the business without having the day to day activity around the resort because it's closed in the winter.
And so we really look forward to winter for the serenity and having this resort which is ours, but sometimes doesn't feel like it during the summer with all of the guests around, it then really becomes just our place. And not to be or to sound selfish about just has a kind of a different meaning in the winter. And they model work that it still takes to maintain. I feel like it's very fulfilling to be here, even though it's. You can feel isolated sometimes. It's pretty rare when I do.
And I believe that Lara is, she enjoys it as well and kind of sees those same benefits that I do. And having a place to really just escape in the winter, it's, it's pretty incredible how quiet it can be.
It's just polar opposite of summer where there's, it's just nuts all the time. And so I think long term we probably will be here. We're certainly going to continue Cabino Pines into hopefully the sixth generation and we'll continue to do as much as we can for the ABA and the Vince Judy Wildlife Sanctuary too.
[00:37:06] Speaker A: Oh, great.
[00:37:06] Speaker B: Yeah, it sounds like you've got it made.
Oh, brilliant.
[00:37:10] Speaker C: Yeah, it's going all right.
And I think we try not to take any of it for granted because it could all be gone tomorrow and we have to protect what we have and try to understand that it's not just ours, it's for the future also. And there's certainly threats that exist in ways that can actually change everything in a day with the changes in climate by the forest fires that are becoming more common and the storms that when you're surrounded by 100 foot tall pine trees can be terrifying and the fragile nature of our ecosystem too, and how important it is that we protect all of it. And so that's really what I, what I've been passionate about and why I think I enjoy being here so much is because in a place like this you can kind of forget about the pressures of society and what's going on and the challenges in the world. But it's still important to remember those things because this is, and this is really the escape for people. We come up here to get back to kind of the roots of society and nature.
Places like the wildlife sanctuary are just, it's very fulfilling for people. I think it's, it's a feel good environment and we want to continue protecting it.
Yeah.
[00:38:41] Speaker A: Couldn't put it better myself. Oh, thanks, Ross.
[00:38:44] Speaker C: I appreciate the time here in the bear den.
[00:38:47] Speaker B: Yeah, no problem. Yeah, like I say, there's, there's room for everyone in here. You know, it's open 24 7.
[00:38:54] Speaker C: Yeah, it's nice and cozy. It's bigger than I thought.
[00:38:56] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:39:00] Speaker A: Ah, thanks once again Ross.
I do think it's nice to hear about the lack of bears near to the Cabino Pines Resort and how effective waste management keeps all concerned safe.
For those who are interested in potentially.
[00:39:15] Speaker B: Staying at Cavenaugh Pines or want to look at it a bit more, I'll put a couple of links in the description.
[00:39:20] Speaker A: You can find them on platforms such as booking.com their website's quite easy to remember. Cabinopines.com.
[00:39:28] Speaker A: So now what do we have next for you?
Well, you'll have to come back and find out, won't you?
[00:39:34] Speaker B: It'll probably be about bears.
[00:39:37] Speaker A: As always, thank you and see you then.
[00:39:46] Speaker A: The Bear Den the American Bear association podcast was written and presented by me, Philip Stubley. The music was composed by React Nick Music.
Thank you to everyone who has helped make this podcast possible, including Karen Hauserman, Bill Lee, Clarie Lee, Stephanie Horner, Donna Brzinka, Ross Coyer and Angie Page.
[00:40:06] Speaker A: You can find out more about the American bear
[email protected] you can find Vintrudi Wildlife Sanctuary on Facebook and Instagram. You can ask questions and submit comments about the podcast to pacewmericanbear.org the ABA is a special circumstance. We do not condone feeding wild animals. If you enjoy this podcast, help support the ABA either by donating, becoming an ABA member, symbolically adopting a bear, or come visit the sanctuary during the season and say hello.
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