by Mountain Journal
More than 1,000 people tuned in to watch a panel discussion about threats this autumn to world famous Jackson Hole Grizzly 399 and her cubs, the challenges facing grizzlies in general and how controversial new laws in Montana are undermining the miraculous conservation success stories with grizzlies and wolves. You can listen to the entire discussion below.
About half of the audience listened in via Zoom and the rest on other social media channels. Since that time, tens of thousands have watched a recording of the special Grizzly Bear Town Hall co-hosted by Explore Big Sky‘s executive editor Joseph O’Connor and Mountain Journal founder Todd Wilkinson.
The discussion generated several notable newsmaking insights all its own:
Listen to what Servheen says in the panel discussion. He also noted that the greatest threat facing wildlife is misguided development now proliferating on private land in the region and rapidly rising numbers of people—recreationists—inundating grizzly habitat on public lands.
Canmore mandates bear-proof containers, outlaws sloppy garbage behavior among citizens, issues harsh fines to back up the regulations and, in addition, there’s a social atmosphere of admonition for those who break the rules. The communities also have imposed requirements that dogs be on leashes because domestic canines not only displace wildlife but heighten the possibility of a negative encounter with bears, wolves and cougars, she said.
Afterward, in a flurry of emails exchanged between panel participants and citizens, many see the Canadian model as a potential alternative to loose garbage storage regulations that abound throughout the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem both at the county and municipal levels.
All in all, it was a lively, passionate and informative discussion. Mountain Journal thanks its friends at Explore Big Sky for handling the lion’s share of technical details.
