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THE AMERICAN GRIZZLY BEAR
Up high all the birds have flown away,
Protect Grizzly Bear Habitat!
This web site is intended to provide information on the current status of the American Grizzly Bear. Today, the grizzly bear population in the lower forty-eight states numbers about 1,000--reduced from an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 before the West was settled. Grizzly bear habitat has dwindled to less than 2% of what it once was. Fragmented zones of existence are all that remain for the American Grizzly Bear. Destruction and degradation of grizzly bear habitat and human-caused mortality are the greatest threats to the continued existence of the grizzly bear in the lower forty-eight. Existing grizzly bear habitat must be protected, depleted grizzly bear habitat restored, and fragmented grizzly bear recovery zones connected by corridors if the American Grizzly Bear is to "recover".
Thanks to Carl Core for this very special image of two Yellowstone Grizzly cubs. Others Carl has provided are in the Grizzly Bear Gallery. e-mail your questions, comments,
and suggestions to: On the other pages you will find information about the status of the American Grizzly Bear in places like Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park, and the Selkirk Mountains of Idaho and Washington. The site is expanding to include more information about grizzly bear issues "North of the Border" in Canada and Alaska. I also discuss my views on grizzly bear encounters. Photographs I have taken of grizzly bears and the places they live; including Glacier, Yellowstone, Alaska, Canadian Rockies, and the Yukon are included. All images on this web site are protected by copyright. That protection
is noted primarily because a few images have recently been contributed
by others (noted where applicable). My photos are available
for use for most purposes. If you see an image you would like to use,
just send me an email to let me know which one and for what purpose. |
Waterfall from our May 2002 backpack trip: Coyote Gulch to the Escalante River in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Utah
Utah has some great wild places. Unfortunately, the grizzly bear is not part of it. The last grizzly in Utah was killed in 1923.
The Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan identified six ecosystems as grizzly bear recovery zones and one ecosystem as an evaluation area:
Yellowstone Grizzly Bear Recovery Zone
Northern Continental Divide Grizzly Bear Recovery Zone
Cabinet/Yaak Grizzly Bear Recovery Zone
Selkirk Grizzly Bear Recovery Zone
Bitterroot Grizzly Bear Recovery Zone
North Cascades Grizzly Bear Recovery Zone
San Juan Mountains: officially an evaluation area (Southwestern Colorado--not shown on map)
Map of Grizzly
Bear Recovery Zones in the Lower 48 States
(Used here with permission. Copyright by:
Center for Wildlife Information.
P.O. Box 8289, Missoula, Montana 59807
USA 406/523-7750 )
The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee is described as "a group of high-level administrators that represent the federal and state agencies involved in grizzly bear recovery, and coordinate agency efforts in implementing the Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan." Subcommittees have been formed to oversee recovery of grizzly bears in Grizzly Bear Recovery Zones.
As an example of the organization of the subcommittees; the Selkirk and Cabinet-Yaak ecosystems have been combined--representatives of four national forests (in Montana, Idaho, and Washington), two U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regions, the state fish and game agencies (from Montana, Idaho, and Washington), and the province of British Columbia serve on the subcommittee. In addition, the Governor of Idaho appoints a citizen representative from that state (in reality, a representative of the timber industry). The subcommittee is responsible for determining recovery goals, management standards, education and information needs, and research needs for both ecosystems. I question whether or not the Selkirk/Cabinet-Yaak Subcommittee has taken reasonable actions required to:
1. Protect grizzly bears and their habitat in the two recovery zones and
2. Recover viable populations of grizzly bears in the Selkirk Grizzly Bear Recovery Zone and the Cabinet-Yaak Grizzly Bear Recovery Zone.
Possibly as a result of the failure of the subcommittee (or the way the subcommittees are organized), on April 22, 1999, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a new finding:
Based on an analysis of the status of the grizzly bear population in the Cabinet-Yaak and Selkirk recovery zones of Idaho, Montana, and Washington, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has determined that reclassifying the population from threatened to endangered is warranted but precluded by the need to protect other species.
There is much debate about how many grizzly bears exist in any given Grizzly Bear Recovery Zone. The Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan established target numbers for each recovery zone. If those numbers are reached and other criteria are met, it is possible to remove the threatened status from grizzly bears inhabiting that ecosystem. The following is an excerpt from a U.S. Fish and Wildlife web page--they were a little over-anxious and still are:
"The grizzly bear recovery effort has been
met with some successes thus far. Grizzlies in the Yellowstone
ecosystem have now reached the recovery target. Grizzlies in the
North Continental Divide ecosystem have nearly reached recovery goals, and
are expected reach them within a year or two.
These successes have
been largely due to a cooperative effort among several organizations
called the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee. Established in 1983,
the committee includes the U.S. Forest Service; National Park Service;
Bureau of Land Management; state agencies in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and
Washington; Canadian wildlife management agencies; and Native American
Tribes. The committee coordinates habitat management, research, and
education and outreach for the grizzly
bear.
Updated August 1995"
These claims of reaching recovery targets were premature. Grizzly bears in the Yellowstone and Northern Continental Divide grizzly bear recovery zones remain listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). There were indications that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would propose a plan in 1999 for removal (delisting) of the Yellowstone Grizzly from protection under the ESA. Now, it appears plans for delisting are on hold, for several reasons. Varying estimates of actual numbers of grizzlies, threats to their habitat, and uncertainty of continued availability of critical food sources are but a few of the reasons why removing ESA protection is still a bad idea.
It is possible to drive more than half the number of miles across the United States, never leave the Targhee National Forest, and not drive the same mile of road twice. Read the essay: Closing Roads Protects Grizzly Bears and Their Habitat.
ALERT
October 1998: (Remains an Alert because of the likelihood that these conditions will occur again) Grizzly bears had a tough time finding their usual and accustomed foods in many areas of the Northern Rockies in 1998 and were looking elsewhere for food, often in developed areas. As the end of summer approaches, bears enter a biological phase called hyperphagia, the period of time when they eat tremendous amounts of food to store extra pounds of fat before entering the den. Huckleberries are one of their favorite foods at this time of year. In 1998, the huckleberry crop failed. Grizzly bears and black bears were trapped in record numbers from north Idaho to Glacier National Park, as they were attracted to developed areas in search of food. Human food and garbage must be properly stored to prevent bears from obtaining it. For more information see Living With Grizzlies.
