Bears In The Bitterroots A Series Of Meetings Will Discuss The Return Of Grizzly Bears To The Area

Grizzly bears disappeared decades ago from the largest chunk of wilderness in the Lower 48 states. Federal scientists are proposing to put them back, and will get the wheels of government grinding in that direction this week with a series of public meetings.

Will they be just another stage for disagreement between environmentalists and people who make their living from the land?

Possibly not.

A coalition of timber types and environmentalists agrees that Canadian bears should be brought into the Bitterroot Mountains of Idaho and Montana. They want it done with a minimum of economic impact.

They’ve even written a ground-breaking game plan to put citizens in charge, according to biologist Seth Diamond.

“There’s a degree of nervousness among the federal agencies over empowering local citizens in endangered species management,” said Diamond, who works for the Intermountain Forest Industry Association. “But we’re optimistic the Fish and Wildlife Service will wholeheartedly endorse our proposal.”

Tom France of the National Wildlife Federation said that industry representatives are putting “a lot of good faith and creativity” into the effort.

The coalition’s proposal calls for a 13-member board that would oversee the grizzly bear recovery effort in the Bitterroots. The board would include 11 residents appointed by the governors of Idaho and Montana, and two officials appointed by the agriculture and interior secretaries.

The Agriculture Department oversees the national forest land where the bears would be moved. Interior includes the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is responsible for the bear’s recovery under the Endangered Species Act.

Chris Servheen, grizzly bear recovery coordinator, said “it’s very helpful to have local interests on both sides supportive of the project.”

However, officials insist that there’s been no decision made to move Canadian grizzlies into the Bitterroots.

That’s just “a starting point for discussion,” said spokesman Laird Robinson of the U.S. Forest Service.

Specifically, the federal biologists propose to move four to six bears per year for the next five years.

The bears would be considered part of an “experimental” population, meaning they wouldn’t have the full protection of the Endangered Species Act if they moved outside of the ecosystem. That was the case with the recent transplant of Canadian wolves into Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho.

Another option is to skip the experimental designation, Robinson said. A third is to do nothing and count on bears to eventually make their way back into the Bitterroots.

Robinson knows the discussion will be emotional as well as scientific.

“Bears can be a dangerous animal. They’re near the top of the food chain. Like us,” he said.

Fish and Wildlife has scheduled seven public meetings in July.

On Wednesday in Idaho, they’ll be held at the Senior Citizens Center in Grangeville, and Konkolville’s Resort in Orofino. On Thursday in Montana, they’ll be at both the Holiday Inn Parkside in Missoula and the Senior Citizens Center in Hamilton.

All meetings will last from 4 to 8 p.m., and will be in an informal “open house” format, Robinson said. There also will be be meetings in Helena, Boise and Salt Lake City.

Grizzlies potentially could be moved into the Bitterroots as early as next year, Robinson said.

So far, the only place bears have been transplanted is Montana’s Cabinet Mountains.

Since 1990, four grizzlies have been moved into the Cabinets in an effort to bolster the tiny bear population there. Three have survived, Servheen said, but scientists are unsure if the bears have reproduced.

The Cabinet experience holds lessons for the Bitterroots, he said. For one thing, it’s clear that bears will remain in their new habitat instead of heading back to their old homes in British Columbia.

“Most of the time they’ve stayed in the wilderness, at high elevations, although they come out sometimes in the spring. They’ve stayed away from people altogether,” Servheen said. “We feel more comfortable about what we know about the placement of bears.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Map of the Bitterroot Ecosystem

MEMO: Cut in the Spokane edition.