Thanks to online votes from bear lovers captivated by Lily and her cub, Hope, cavorting on webcams set up by the North American Bear Center in Ely, a state park in northern Minnesota apparently will be named Thursday as America's Favorite Park, earning the state a $100,000 prize.
Bear Head Lake State Park was handily outdistancing every other state and national park in the country among voters taking part in a contest sponsored by the National Park Foundation and Coca-Cola. Although Department of Natural Resources officials wouldn't confirm that the park was the winner, the agency has scheduled a news conference at DNR headquarters in St. Paul on Thursday with DNR and Coca-Cola officials.
Bear Head Lake State Park is a pretty but relatively little known park between Ely and Tower in northeastern Minnesota, with stately pines and a lake for paddling, fishing and swimming, plus hiking, cross-country skiing and snowmobile trails.
DOUG SMITH