Forest Roads Closed To Protect Bears

The U.S. Forest Service will close 31 miles of roads in the Targhee National Forest east of Island Park this summer to protect grizzly bears.

Motorized traffic will be prohibited on 19 miles of roads near the western boundary of Yellowstone National Park, south of the North Fork Fire closed area. And 12 miles of roads providing access to state lands will be restricted to management personnel.

Another 198 miles of roads in the area will remain open.

Jerry Reese, supervisor of the Targhee forest, said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service chose which roads to close to protect grizzly bears, which are a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.

“We’ll have to see how people react to this,” he said.

A biological opinion from Fish and Wildlife forces the Forest Service to take measures to increase protection for grizzly bears.

Reese said he would have liked to handle it through a revision to the forest management plan, where the long-term bear conservation strategy will be addressed with the public involved.