This morning as we invited the Cle Elum 7 back into a fresh clean playroom, there was no sign of Negra foraging for pumpkin seeds or making a big nest in the loft. Nor was there any sign of her basking in the sunny greenhouse. The only clue we had to her location was the looks of concern (and maybe awe) on some of her group mates faces as they kept glancing out the door to the raceway of Young’s Hill. Even from our location at the bottom of Young’s Hill we couldn’t see any sign of her, so we set out for a hike around the hill to see if we could spot her. Finally at the top of the enclosure we found her picking wild prickly lettuce underneath a log bridge that shielded her from the wind. Jody, the sanctuary “manager,” who shows the greatest amount of care and concern if anyone goes “missing” or deviates from the day’s schedule, rushed out to collect the queen.
