Human-caused grizzly deaths a concern

BILLINGS, Mont. — Seven were hit by trains or cars. Ten were killed illegally, often shot and left to die. Thirteen were killed by wildlife officials after problems with people. One was killed in self-defense.

All told, 31 grizzly bears in northwest Montana, 18 of them female, died this year as a result of human actions — the most of any year since the bears were listed as a threatened species nearly 30 years ago and nearly double the number killed in 2003, officials said.

While the number of deaths was unusually high, state and federal wildlife officials say it’s not cause for alarm — yet. Contributing to the rise in deaths, they say, was an increase in human-bear contact as more people moved into bear territory and a poor berry crop that pushed more grizzlies out of the woods in search of food.

But some environmentalists are concerned — and not just about the grizzlies in and around Glacier National Park. They’re also worried about grizzlies in and near Yellowstone National Park, where run-ins with hunters accounted for nearly half the 19 grizzly bear deaths in 2004, and where a proposal to remove grizzlies from federal protection could come as early as next year.

“I think we’re moving way too rapidly, given the warning signs on the horizon,” said Louisa Willcox, Wild Bears Project director for the Natural Resources Defense Council in Livingston, Mont. “We should take heed and slow down and really look at, and solve, the problems.”

Hunting and habitat loss contributed to the bears’ decline in the West early in the last century, and in 1975 grizzly bears in the lower 48 states were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

At that time, there were probably 200 to 250 grizzlies in the Yellowstone ecosystem. Today, the estimate ranges from 550 to 600, maybe more, with bears in areas they weren’t found 30 years ago, said Chris Servheen, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grizzly bear recovery coordinator in Missoula.

Servheen calls those grizzlies “the greatest success in the Endangered Species Act,” and anticipates a proposal to remove bears in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem from protection under the act sometime in 2005.

Such a proposal wouldn’t affect grizzlies in other parts of the West, including the Rocky Mountains of northwest Montana, where researchers are still trying to pin down the size of the population. Estimates now put it at about 500 bears.

“We have much better science in Yellowstone,” Servheen said, noting extensive, ongoing research and monitoring.

He said the 19 grizzlies killed in the Yellowstone region as a result of human actions in 2004 was comparable to past years. But the nine females that died exceeded mortality thresholds set in 1993 by federal and state agencies to aid recovery.

Environmentalists find the figure troubling, especially given how slowly grizzlies reproduce. Bears can be 5 or 6 years old before they have their first cubs. However, researchers say the mark was set conservatively.

Servheen said the deaths would not affect delisting, but officials are studying what steps could be taken to address the issue.

Those steps include increased education for hunters and homeowners. Servheen and others said this is important as grizzlies expand their range and push to the edges of the ecosystem, where they’re likely to encounter humans — and trouble.

The grizzly “recovery zone” covers 9,200 square miles. But the bears already are living on more than 14,000 square miles in the Yellowstone ecosystem, Servheen said.

Hunters acting in self-defense accounted for at least seven of the 19 human-caused grizzly deaths in the Yellowstone region this year, he said. Wildlife officials removed seven bears that pillaged through people’s trash and yards for food or otherwise had conflicts with humans.

Chuck Schwartz of the government’s Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team said people must be able to live compatibly with bears in bear territory, taking steps such as securing trash or other attractants. But he said agencies need to recognize that there are places bears do not belong. If bears show up in those places, officials need to deal with why the bears are there, Schwartz added.

“If you remove the bear and not the source of the problem, you’re right back to where you started,” he said.

Wildlife officials and private organizations work with homeowners and others in bear country, helping them take steps to keep bears away, such as the use of bear-proof containers for food or trash, electric fences or even specialized bear dogs.

Some people don’t want grizzlies around. Commissioners in Wyoming’s Fremont County this month passed a resolution declaring the bears unwanted. Chairman Doug Thompson said the commission was motivated by concern for public health and safety and the potential negative effect on the economy.

He supports delisting, which he said would allow for greater flexibility in managing encroaching bears.

“We don’t hate wildlife. People here deal with wildlife all the time and have a great respect for them,” Thompson said. “But, like with anything, it has to be managed properly.”

Heidi Godwin, project coordinator at the Sierra Club in Bozeman, said the level of frustration that people feel about bear recovery is daunting.

“People in these communities will decide recovery in the long run. If they don’t coexist or have tolerance, bears are going to die,” she said.

Both Godwin and Willcox question whether there would be adequate protection for bears and habitat in the Yellowstone area once delisting occurs. But Servheen said the population would continue to be researched and monitored and that thresholds would be in place for human-caused deaths.

Montana, Wyoming and Idaho would be involved in managing the grizzlies, and the states have submitted plans that have already been incorporated into a multiagency strategy. State officials support delisting, despite lingering questions about where the money to carry out the plans will come from.

The estimated annual cost for grizzly bear management after delisting is $3.4 million — more than is being spent currently, Servheen said. Ensuring that funding is in place is critical to moving ahead with any delisting proposal, he said.

John Emmerich, of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, said officials believe there should be as much financial support from the federal government as possible. But, he said, the agency is willing to look for other funding sources.

“We feel there is a need to get grizzlies delisted and start managing them,” he said.