Grizzly bears in the Lower 48 were placed on the endangered species list in 1975. The states of Wyoming, Idaho and Montana have petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove grizzlies form the list. FWS is reviewing the petitions. Photo by Jim Peaco/NPS
by Julia Barton
Montana is overhauling
its management plan for one of Greater Yellowstone’s keystone predators, and
public comment on the state’s proposed management plan for grizzly bears closed
last month.
The217-page 2022 Montana
Grizzly Bear Management Plan will
supplant the state’s 2006 western and 2013 southwestern management plans. The latest
plan outlines species’ management in the event grizzlies are delisted
from the Endangered Species Act, under which they have been protected as a
threatened species in the Lower 48 since 1975. The Fish and Wildlife Service in
2023 began preparing a status review for grizzlies in the Greater Yellowstone
and Northern Continental Divide ecosystems to determine their future listing
status.
If delisted, species
management would shift from federal to state officials, and Greg Lemon, Montana
Fish, Wildlife and Parks’ communication and education division administrator,
says the plan provides a regulatory
framework for state management of grizzlies.
“There wouldn't be a
ton that would change,” Lemon told Mountain
Journal. “A lot of the stuff that happens on the ground—managing conflict,
dealing with education, helping communities, landowners and people avoid
conflicts with bears, and then dealing with conflicts when they happen—is
already done by the state right now.”
The plan states that
it would be fully compliant with federal mandates under the Endangered Species
Act and maintain agreements with federal, state and tribal agencies.
There is a five-year moratorium on hunting grizzlies upon a potential delisting, said Greg Lemon with Fish, Wildlife and Parks. However, the plan states an aim for a limited and regulated hunting season, which would be determined annually by the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission.
One part of the deal,
according to Lemon, involves translocating bears between the Greater
Yellowstone and Northern Continental Divide ecosystems to help bolster genetic
diversity. These two populations have “biologically
recovered” since their ESA listing, according to the plan. FWP also
commits to supporting recovery efforts in the Bitterroot and Cabinet-Yaak
ecosystems, both of which were identified as recovery zones in the ESA listing
but do not currently support grizzly populations.
Management will focus
on 30 western Montana counties with a known or anticipated grizzly bear
presence, although officials will have authority to remove conflict bears
beyond these zones. The plan emphasizes human safety and authorities will “make
all reasonable efforts to recommend (or implement, if appropriate) actions that
minimize bear removal,” the document reads.
There is a five-year
moratorium on hunting grizzlies upon a potential delisting, Lemon said, however the plan states an
aim for a limited and regulated hunting season, which would be determined annually
by the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission. Additionally, Montana lawmakers
have recently afforded landowners the right to shoot grizzlies that “threaten”
livestock on their property. “Hunting [grizzlies] has
always been a hot-button issue that we are talking about, but it's never been
the focus,” Lemon said.
Grizzly bear expert
Dr. Chris Servheen disagrees. Serving as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s
grizzly bear recovery coordinator for 35 years, Servheen is now president of
the Montana Wildlife Federation and co-chair of the International Union for
Conservation of Nature’s Bear Specialist Group. “The whole plan is
full of stuff about hunting, as if this is a plan to hunt grizzly bears rather
than a plan to manage them,” he told Mountain
Journal. “It’s a tragedy. It’s such a poor excuse for management.”
Montana’s latest grizzly management plan uses "estimated occupied range maps" to identify “core” zones, outside of which FWP will not prioritize maintaining a grizzly population. Use of a broader where grizzlies "may-be-present” map (shown above) would provide a more accurate portrayal of grizzly dispersal to guide management efforts, says Dr. Chris Servheen. Map courtesy FWP
Servheen authoreda lengthy letter to FWP on behalf of the Montana Wildlife
Federation during the draft plan’s initial public comment period in January
2023, outlining his various concerns. In the letter, he recognizes that as a
conservation organization, MWF—which dates back to the 1930s—supports
management that would allow grizzlies to be delisted and managed by the state.
But the existing draft is described in the letter as “misguided,” and
“misleading.”
As Montana’s
population grows and more folks live and recreate in grizzly bear country, the
bruins will face increasing threats, demanding a stewardship approach rather
than an intolerance approach, Servheen says. The plan emphasizes and justifies
ways to kill non-conflict bears to reduce the state’s population and habitat,
according to his interpretation.
“Bears weren't
recovered so that this kind of intolerance could be foisted on grizzly bears
with the death of lots of bears,” he said, noting that grizzly recovery is the
result of decades of work that was funded by tens of millions in public tax
dollars. Servheen believes raising state funds by auctioning trophy hunting
tags for a recently recovered iconic species like the grizzly bear will rightly
upset many Montanans.
“The whole plan is full of stuff about hunting, as if this is a plan to hunt grizzly bears rather than a plan to manage them. It’s a tragedy. It’s such a poor excuse for management.” – Dr. Chris Servheen, former grizzly bear recovery coordinator, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Hunting isn’t necessary for managing bears, according to Servheen, who
explained that grizzly bears are a density-dependent species. Once the
population begins nearing the land’s holding capacity, the bears self-regulate.
Juvenile survival decreases as density increases, limiting population growth. His feedback on the
plan emphasizes the need for FWP to prioritize conflict-reduction efforts above
hunting, including use of non-lethal conflict reduction practices and teaching people
how to mitigate risk. The plan does touch on these areas, although they are not
as clearly outlined as hunting guidelines.
“Outside of this plan, we’ve been making a pretty big push for education
and outreach in areas where we have established population grizzly bears or
even transitory bears that come through,” Lemon said. “Between the Yellowstone
and Northern Continental Divide [ecosystems,] we’re spending a lot of time and
a lot of effort working with communities, landowners and the public on
education about how to avoid conflicts with bears.”
Education must look different in different communities, Lemon explained.
Some towns like Gardiner have coexisted with grizzlies for decades, while
places like Helena don’t have a history of sharing the landscape with the
bruins. Teaching folks in the areas between recovery zones how to avoid
conflict will help the chances of connectivity, he said.
Concerns over the
removal of bears in connectivity zones are also prominent in Servheen’s letter.
The plan uses "estimated occupied range maps" to identify “core” zones, outside
of which FWP will not prioritize maintaining a grizzly population. Use of a broader where grizzlies "may-be-present” map would provide a more accurate portrayal of
grizzly dispersal to guide management efforts, Servheen explained.
As next steps, the
state will analyze and address public comments and move into issuing a final
plan and associated environmental impact statement. More information on the
grizzly plan process can be found on theFWP website.
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About Julia Barton
Julia Barton is a freelance journalist and communications specialist based out of Bozeman. A Montana native, she earned a journalism degree from the University of Southern California and reports on the environment, outdoor recreation and the arts.
