Grizzly Bear Collective

15/03/2022

What happens when a tech exec pairs up ranchers? Creative solutions for conflicts with grizzly bears!

https://grizzlybearcollective.com/living-with-bears/ranching-in-paradise/

Photo by Steve J. Drake

14/03/2022

Just north of Yellowstone National Park, a team of ranchers is pioneering the use of cutting-edge technology intended to help them coexist with grizzly bears.

Read the full story here: https://grizzlybearcollective.com/living-with-bears/ranching-in-paradise/

NPS PHOTO

24/09/2021

Remember that grizzly bears are found within the Lower 48 in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and Washington and as some populations grow, grizzlies might show up in unexpected places.

When you head out for a hike, hunt, or even a walk, have you considered whether grizzly bears could be in the area? Do you know how to conduct your activity in a safe way in bear country?

Wildlife officials have confirmed four grizzly bears in Montana’s Upper Clark Fork and Bitterroot Valleys this year, ranging from Gold Creek to Sula.

22/09/2021

Denny Iverson, a rancher in Potomac, Montana, and member of the board for the Blackfoot Challenge, says raising livestock in areas with grizzly bears is challenging, but the Blackfoot watershed has developed several programs that help.

In particular, the carcass pick-up program has been a huge success, with 90 percent of the Blackfoot Valley's ranchers participating. Through this program, livestock that die on the ranch--whether it be from old age, disease, or other natural causes--are hauled to a composting facility. By removing carcasses from the ranch premises, this eliminates the risk of attracting a bear to the ranch.

https://grizzlybearcollective.com/living-with-bears/riding-the-fences/

Photo by Courtney Hathaway

21/09/2021

Do you know how to hunt and recreate around bears? Check this video out to freshen up your skills.

Learn about hunting in bear country. This presentation covers grizzly bears and black bears, distribution, natural history, sign of bear activity, bear attra...

20/09/2021

After a tragic human fatality in Ovando, Montana, this summer, let's reflect on conflict with grizzly bears. Through the voices of those in the community, we're reminded that solutions take empathy and a commitment to listen and learn.

https://grizzlybearcollective.com/living-with-bears/riding-the-fences/

Photo by Zanen Pitts

Riding the Fences Listening and learning as a means to safely live with bears By Jessianne Castle Two grizzlies move through the Blackfoot watershed east of Missoula, Montana. Here, a landowner organization known as the Blackfoot Challenge is making a collective effort to safely live and ranch with....

16/09/2021

Thanks Mountain Journal for publishing this story from the Grizzly Bear Collective.

As Jessianne Castle reports in this story from wild country around Yellowstone and Glacier national parks, it's how humans behave that can keep people and bears safe

15/09/2021

“None of us are immune from goofing up. We’re all allowed one goof-up. But we have to correct our behavior and learn from it.”

After a series of conflicts involving a family of grizzly bears resulted in the bears' lethal removal, Flannery Coats, a Montana business owner who has worked as a seasonal ranger for Glacier National Park and now serves as president of the North Fork Preservation Association, reflects.

https://flatheadbeacon.com/2021/09/14/a-fed-bear/

Twenty years ago, new arrivals to the remote North Fork Flathead River community of Polebridge were likely to hear some version of the following when asking for directions — just head north and hang a right at the pile of bear s**t. Situated on the doorstep of Glacier National Park, which merges w...

13/09/2021

"Preventing a conflict is easier than dealing with one."

With the arrival of fall, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks staff are busy responding to bear conflicts and working with the public to prevent conflicts.

To date, most of the reported conflicts in northwest Montana have involved bears getting into unsecured garbage and livestock feed, hanging around homes feeding on green grass and clover, and killing small livestock, such as chickens and pigs. FWP staff work with landowners on electric fencing, loaning out bear-resistant garbage containers, and securing attractants with the goal of preventing conflicts.

In fall, bears are increasingly active in preparation for winter denning. FWP has received numerous reports of bears feeding on domestic fruit on residential properties, as well as serviceberries, chokecherries, hawthorn, and huckleberries. Numerous bears have been reported in Whitefish feeding on fruit trees, and FWP staff encourage residences to pick up fruit.

Bears that gain rewards from human food sources can become food conditioned, which means they lose their natural foraging ability and pose an increased risk to human safety. Food rewards can also lead wildlife to become habituated to people, another increased risk to human safety. Both food conditioning and habituation often lead to euthanizing an animal for safety reasons.

Montana is bear country with populations of grizzly and black bears that frequent higher and lower elevations, especially river corridors. Preventing a conflict is easier than dealing with one.

- Bear spray is a highly effective, non-lethal bear deterrent. Carry EPA-approved bear spray and know how to use it.

- Never feed wildlife, especially bears. Bears that become food conditioned lose their natural foraging behavior and pose a threat to human safety. And it is illegal to feed bears in Montana.

- Know your bears. It is important to know the difference between grizzly bears and black bears, whether you are hunting or hiking.

- Always keep a safe distance from wildlife. Never intentionally get close to a bear.

- Loud noise, such as banging pots and pans, using an air horn or your car alarm, or shouting, is a simple, effective short-term way to deter a bear on private property.

- A properly constructed electrified fence is both safe for people, livestock and pets, and has proven effective at deterring bears from human-related resources such as beehives, garbage or small livestock.

Please report conflicts to one of the nearest FWP bear management specialists in your area. For a list of specialists, visit https://fwp.mt.gov/conservation/species/bear/contact.

Seeing a bear is not necessarily a reportable encounter or an emergency. Report encounters where the bear displayed aggressive or defensive behavior toward people, livestock or pets, or damaged property. In an emergency, phone 9-1-1. For livestock conflicts, contact USDA Wildlife Services.

For a summary of grizzly bear management actions in northwest Montana, visit https://fwp.mt.gov/homepage/news/2021/sept/09-09-2021-bears-seeking-food-sources-with-the-arrival-of-fall-residents-reminded-to-secure-food-attractants

Learn more about grizzly bears in Montana by visiting https://fwp.mt.gov/conservation/species/bear.

10/09/2021

Research shows that bears, like humans, prefer to travel the road of least resistance. This means it isn't uncommon for a grizzly bear to make use of man-made hiking trails.

https://www.wyofile.com/grizzlies-on-treadmills-research-illuminates-bear-human-run-ins/

Now there is science behind why bruins so often end up on the same trails as people.

09/09/2021

Facial recognition software and conservation? A project known as BearID is looking to develop camera technology that can identify individual grizzly and brown bears, helping biologists conserve populations and maybe even reduce human bear conflicts.

https://www.backpacker.com/survival/bears/facial-recognition-tech-for-bears-might-just-be-the-future-of-conservation/

The surveillance state meets animal research.

08/09/2021

Here's a great way to make use of unwanted fruit. If you're in Montana's Flathead Valley, consider giving your fruit to the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center!

It’s that time of the year again folks! Donate your picked fruit to the bears at the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center!

Please bring donated fruit (apples, crab apples, plums, pears etc.) to Fish Wildlife and Parks in Kalispell at 490 N. Meridian Rd starting Monday September 20th through Friday September 24th from 9am to 5pm.

Your donations help to feed bears that were brought to the center due to becoming too food conditioned around homes. Donating your fruit also means there's less of a chance of wild bears hanging in your yards and getting into trouble. It’s a win win for everyone!

If you have trees and want them picked or you are looking for fruit to pick try connecting with people in the community and make a post on: https://www.facebook.com/groups/648091336127907/?ref=share

All the bears at the center greatly appreciate your donations!

Thank you!

07/09/2021

Today Wyoming Game amd Fish is giving away bear spray to hunters and anglers in Jackson Hole!

CASPER, Wyo. — The Wyoming Game and Fish Department, with support from the Safari Club International Foundation and the Western Bear Foundation, will be

02/09/2021

A good reminder from CSKT Wildlife Management Program. Bears can be attracted to a variety of crops and this time of year it's important to be on the lookout during harvest! And remember electric fences can be a great way to keep bears out of gardens and fruit trees.

01/09/2021

In case you missed it this summer, this video by Yellowstone National Park features biologist Kerry Gunther and offers some great insight into bear behavior.

30/08/2021

A good find from the folks at Vital Ground!

How much do you know about bear behavior and avoiding a bear attack? What you know — or don’t know — could determine how likely you are to survive an encounter with a testy bear.

29/08/2021

So what is bear spray anyway? Check out this link from Be Bear Aware to learn more about what's in that canister on your hip and how to use it. Read up on actual scenarios for when a bear is 60-, 30- or 15-feet away.

https://bebearaware.org/deploying-bear-spray/

28/08/2021

Outfitters Maggie Carr and Yve Bardwell of Choteau, Montana, recognize the privilege it is to live and work in a wild place that's also home to bears. Owners of Dropstone Outfitting, they also know we need to continue to learn ways to share the landscape.

https://grizzlybearcollective.com/living-with-bears/more-people-more-bears/

NPS photo

27/08/2021

“We’ve been pretty fortunate living where we do and having as many bears as we have. They are by and large good bears and a big part of that is keeping a clean camp and a clean ranch,” Kameron Kelsey, Nine Quarter Circle Ranch, Big Sky, Montana.

In the following story, Kelsey shares his experience growing up and now managing a guest ranch in griz country.

https://grizzlybearcollective.com/living-with-bears/more-people-more-bears/

Photo by Nine Quarter Circle- Montana Dude Ranch/Family Guest Ranch

27/08/2021

Check out this podcast by Greater Yellowstone Coalition to learn a bit more about grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and get some common questions answered.

Episode 02 | Grizzly Bear Country

26/08/2021

Do you know the warning signs when a bear is telling you you're too close? Do you know what it means to be "bear-aware"?

“Many people think bears are unpredictable, but actually bears are fairly predictable,” says Yellowstone National Park bear biologist Kerry Gunther.

Visit https://grizzlybearcollective.com/living-with-bears/more-people-more-bears/ to learn more.

NPS photo

25/08/2021

A few years ago Ashea Mills was summitting Barronette Peak in Yellowstone National Park when she encountered a grizzly bear.

“I don’t like to worry," she says. "Cultural fear is not what they need from us. They need our awareness and they need us to know about their behavior.”

Visit https://grizzlybearcollective.com/living-with-bears/more-people-more-bears/ to read the full story.

NPS photo

24/08/2021

What happens when we have more people and more bears? With surges in tourism to places like Yellowstone National Park, in areas where grizzly numbers are expanding, it's a valuable time to reflect on the stories of those who live, work and recreate in areas that support grizzly bears.

In this story, writer Jessianne Castle shares the experiences of a Yellowstone guide, a guest ranch owner, and two Bob Marshall Wilderness outfitters; from them, we catch a glimpse into what it means to live in a place that's still wild.

https://grizzlybearcollective.com/living-with-bears/more-people-more-bears/

More People, More Bears How human behavior can keep people and bears safe By Jessianne Castle A grizzly bear in Glacier National Park is a visual reminder of the wild spaces of the West. With diligence, people that live, work or recreate in these wild places can adopt bear safety habits that keep be...

23/08/2021

It's been a quiet summer on social media for the Grizzly Bear Collective, but day-to-day in the real world it's been a busy one! Writer Jessianne Castle has been busy chronicling the experiences of people who live and work around grizzly bears in Montana. Stay tuned to read some of these stories.

09/08/2021

What happens when people and bears depend on the same food source? It turns out for this community in Canada, there's a balanced ecological triangle.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-salmon-study-balances-needs-of-first-nation-and-grizzly-bears/

The results of a study suggest that Indigenous salmon fishing in the area can be handled in a way that provides for both the community’s and the bears’ needs without depleting fish stocks

16/07/2021

With news of biologists collaring a female grizzly bear in Washington state for the first time, after 40 years of recovery efforts, we're reminded of the importance to be bear aware.

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/jul/15/first-female-grizzly-bear-captured-radio-collared-/

Federal wildlife managers captured and collared a female grizzly bear, with three cubs, near Metaline Falls in northeast Washington, about 10 miles from the Canadian border on June 17.This is the first female grizzly captured in Washington. Biologists believe she is a resident of the area and not di...

28/05/2021

Do you know how to use bear spray?

Bear spray is proven to be highly successful at stopping aggressive behavior in bears. Bear Management Biologist Kerry Gunther walks through the steps to deploy bear spray.

14/05/2021

A career that started with an Olympus Infinity camera, a Radio Shack security alarm and a 12-volt lawn-and-garden battery--the world’s first remote-sensor trail camera, weighing 20 pounds and able to capture 36 images on a roll of film--has expanded from monitoring a population of grizzlies around Glacier National Park to working diligently with area residents.

"We have a lot of bears; we have a lot of people. My job is to try and make sure there’s not a lot of conflict." Tim Manley, FWP Grizzly Bear Management Specialist

https://apnews.com/article/technology-wildlife-bears-financial-markets-kalispell-19318566943ea08afd4eb02d9a859fae

KALISPELL, mont. (AP) — In 1988, the renowned grizzly bear biologist Tim Manley was working as a research assistant on the South Fork Flathead River, trying to devise a reliable method for...

13/05/2021

Recently a grizzly bear was relocated from the Avon, Montana, area and another was euthanized near Lewistown due to conflicts with livestock. While relocation and euthanization remain agency tools for grizzly bears that have become food-conditioned, there are many communities and individuals working on preventative measures that keep more bears wild while sustaining the Montana way of life. Check out this short video about one such effort between Defenders of Wildlife, Wildlife Services, and Two Creek Monture Ranch in Ovando.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyEwwFBcjZc

A short film about the partnership between Defenders of Wildlife and Wildlife Services to help reduce predator conflicts with livestock in Montana. This film...

05/05/2021

"A grizzly bear has been confirmed in the Big Snowy Mountains, a first for the Central Montana island mountain range, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks."

https://billingsgazette.com/lifestyles/recreation/grizzly-bear-captured-on-game-camera-in-big-snowy-mountains/article_3d409959-c644-514d-b099-3aa1adfad919.html

A grizzly bear has been confirmed in the Big Snowy Mountains, a first for the Central Montana island mountain range, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.