I'm a little late answering your post KurtMN but my computer had a bad virus and spent a few days getting it to talk again. Here is what the Ag. agent here said it was Kino fern Kino (Phymatosorus grossus - Polypodiaceae) native to the Marshall Islands Hawaii . I will look up the bear paw and see what it says about it but the rhizomes are the right color but a foot long including the gold old growth and the light straw color. Guess I'll now do some more reading.
There isn't any we can find anywhere within a mile of this one and it is growing in the fork of an oak tree. The Kino isn't supposed to like this area either. Here is a piece I left in the tree to watch this winter. Thanks for the shout back. The separate fronds grow to 3 feet long..
