Good Questions: Capitol Christmas Tree, Zoo Hibernation & Garbage Pick-Up

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - An 88-foot white spruce from the Chippewa National Forest is this year's Capitol Christmas tree.

So, Brian from Bloomington and Donald from Stillwater wanted to know: What do they do with the Capitol Christmas tree after the season is over?

The National Forest Service says when it gets to the Capitol, it becomes Capitol's property, so it gets mulched up used all over the Capitol grounds.

Devin from Albertville asked: Do bears in zoos hibernate?

"Actually, they don't," Laurie Trechsel, a zoologist at the Minnesota Zoo. "Even bears in the wild don't hibernate like what think is hibernation where the body temperature goes way down and they are almost in a death-state."

But, she says, zoo bears do slow down and have less of an appetite. They don't slow down quite to the extent as bears in the wild because the zookeepers feed them each day.

"We try to wake them up in the morning and there's some mornings we can't do it," she said. "If they don't want to go out, it's hard to convince a bear otherwise."

Kerra from Ramsey asked: Why is garbage picked up more than recycling?

"Recycling is collected every other week because the material does not decompose, thus has no related odors," said St. Louis Park public works director Scott Merkley. "Garbage, on the other hand, does decompose and generates odors and has potential for vermin issues."

According to Rich Herstein with Republic Services, many cities across the metro have moved to twice-monthly recycling collection as they have increased the capacity of the recycling carts. Every other week collection also reduces the number of trucks on the street.