A current grizzly bear diet study is an important factor in determine whether to continue federal protections . . .
Researchers say a study on Yellowstone ecosystem grizzly bear diets should be completed this October.
The study will help determine whether managers will recommend ending federal protections for the species.
Plans are afoot again this year to capture grizzly bears for research purposes . . .
Biologists will begin capturing grizzly bears in northwestern Montana this month as part of ongoing research into the population of the threatened species.
The work will take place in the Blackfoot Valley, along the Rocky Mountain Front, in the Swan and Clearwater River Valleys, within Glacier National Park, and in the North and Middle Forks of the Flathead River.
Grizzly bears, as well as black bears, are coming out of hibernation and looking for food. “Bear aware” North Forkers will be making sure they have no bear attractants on their property such as smelly trash, bird feeders, animal feed, downed apples and so forth. The Creston area has had several bear incidents already and Glacier Park reports evidence their Grizzlies are stirring. Here are the stgories . . .
Creston seems to be the place for grizzlies this spring – Creston apparently is a hot spot for grizzly bear activity this spring, with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials aware of at least four bears in the area. Continue reading . . .
Glacier Park Officials: Grizzly Bears Emerging From Dens – Grizzly bears are out of their dens and roaming throughout Glacier National Park, according to park officials. Recent observations of bear tracks in the snow indicate bears are emerging from hibernation and looking for food, according to an announcement from park officials. Continue reading . . .
Your friendly web-slinger was away on an extended road trip, so we’re playing catch-up. Here’s a spring crop of environmental lawsuits, all filed within days of each other. . .
Environmentalists file federal suit over logging on Montana state forests – A 50-year permit for logging and development on Montana state forests faces a federal lawsuit from environmentalists who say the state won’t do enough to protect threatened grizzly bears or bull trout. The Friends of the Wild Swan, Montana Environmental Information Center and Natural Resources Defense Council sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Missoula’s U.S. District Court on Monday. Continue reading . . .
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks sued over trapping in lynx habitat – Three conservation groups filed a federal court lawsuit Thursday against Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks commissioners and Director Jeff Hagener for allowing trapping and snaring in Canada lynx habitat. The Friends of the Wild Swan, the WildEarth Guardians and the Alliance for the Wild Rockies say FWP reported at least nine incidents since 2000 of lynx being caught in traps set for other species; and say four of those animals died. They alleged that this violates the federal Endangered Species Act, which lists lynx as a threatened species and warranted for protection, and want the trapping prohibited in lynx habitat. Continue reading . . .
Group keeps up challenge to logging roads – A conservation group said Wednesday it will keep pushing federal authorities to more closely regulate muddy logging roads, despite a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Wednesday that sided with the timber industry on the issue. Continue reading . . .
Bears are coming out of hibernation, so it’s time for the usual annual reminder about removing bear attractants. Bears will eat darn near anything, especially right now, so anything from old apples on the ground to pet food to poorly secured garbage can attract a large, furry, unwanted visitor. In particular, if you are already getting visits from mid-level scroungers like racoons, skunks and coyotes, you could be setting yourself up for a bear problem.
The Flathead Beacon posted a good write-up on the subject. Also, Montana’s “Bear Aware” site has lots of good information on living with bears.
This is pretty interesting. A radio collared grizzly bear got close to Missoula, didn’t like what she saw, and backed off. They are already getting reestablished on the high plains east of the Divide, so it makes sense grizzles would start showing up in other regions . . .
A grizzly bear has ambled across the southern border of the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem and onto Missoula’s urban fringe.
“It looks like she did it within a few days – looked out of the trees above Grant Creek, heard all the noise and saw all the stuff and didn’t come down,” said Chris Servheen, grizzly bear recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Missoula. “That’s good. But there will be others.”
Despite increased potential for conflict, grizzly bears deaths remain steady . . .
With improved habitat security on federal lands and continued public education, the number of grizzly bear mortalities in the Northern Rockies was relatively low at 18 in 2012…
“Our mortalities are remaining pretty steady,” said Chris Servheen, grizzly bear recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “I think it’s the ongoing efforts of the bear managers, both the tribal and state guys, dealing with a lot of conflicts and working with a lot of new land owners.”
The work of state bear management specialists such as Tim Manley, who covers the Flathead area, has been significant because of the encroachment of homes into bear habitat and a growing bear population that continues to use those areas.
The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee plans a close look at the grizzly bear’s overall diet . . .
To ensure they’ve got the best look at how well grizzly bears can endure in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, researchers want a full picture of the predators’ diet before another attempt to remove them from endangered species protection.
The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee hopes to convince the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals it was justified in delisting the big bears from the federal Endangered Species Act…
Grizzly bears have recovered in some areas to the point where some very limited hunting may be permitted in a couple of years . . .
With bear-human conflicts on the rise, wildlife managers in the Northern Rockies are laying the groundwork for trophy hunts for grizzlies in anticipation of the government lifting their threatened species status.
It’s expected to be 2014 before about 600 bears around Yellowstone National Park lose their federal protections, and possibly longer for about 1,000 bears in the region centered on Glacier National Park.
Yet already government officials say those populations have recovered to the point that limited hunting for small numbers of bears could occur after protections are lifted…
The Missoulian reports that the grizzly population centered on Yellowstone Park appears to be doing well. The article also discusses the Cabinet-Yaak Grizzly Bear Project in this corner of Montana . . .
The grizzly bear population around Yellowstone National Park appears to be stable and growing, according to experts in Wyoming.
A story in the Casper Star-Tribune reports that an estimated 608 grizzlies live in the Yellowstone ecosystem, an increase over last year’s estimated population of 593.