What's The Real Future For Grizzlies In Greater Yellowstone?

For 35 years, Dr. Christopher Servheen was on the front lines of trying to save grizzly bear populations in the Lower 48 states. The fact that grizzlies were brought back from the brink in Yellowstone and the surrounding ecosystem, thanks to hard work from a wide array of advocates and the protective might of the federal Endangered Species Act, ranks among the greatest wildlife conservation success stories in history. Many consider it a miracle.

In the past, Servheen supported efforts to remove grizzlies from federal protection and hand management over to the states, which have expressed an ardent desire to bringing back controversial sport hunting of these iconic animals. But today, Dr. Servheen, now retired from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and serving as president and board chair of the Montana Wildlife Federation, has expressed serious concerns about perceived setbacks to bear recovery.

In addition to what he considers alarming legislation passed by states, an unforeseen acceleration in private land development and rising levels of outdoor recreation are jeopardizing habitat once thought secure for grizzlies to inhabit, he says. While some once saw an expanding grizzly population in Greater Yellowstone capable of naturally dispersing into old homelands and eventually becoming connected with bear populations from the north, Servheen is worried about development trends and politically driven hostility toward grizzlies and wolves.

On February 1, 2023 at the Emerson Cultural Center’s Crawford Theater in Bozeman, Dr. Servheen will join Mountain Journal founder Todd Wilkinson in a presentation of compelling imagery and conversations about grizzlies in Greater Yellowstone and the Northern Rockies. It’s the first major public appearance Servheen has made in Bozeman since he retired from his role as the Fish and Wildlife Service’s national grizzly bear recovery coordinator in 2016. He was the first person to hold that high-profile post following Greater Yellowstone grizzlies being listed as a threatened species in 1975.

This special live event, hosted by Gallatin Valley Earth Day and sponsored by the Gallatin Wildlife Association, is free to the public. Advance tickets can be secured through Gallatin Valley Earth Day's registration portal by clicking here. You can also show up Wednesday—seats first come, first served. The evening begins promptly at 7 p.m. and doors to the theater open at 6 p.m. It is an evening that is friendly for young lovers of bears.

For those who cannot make it to Bozeman, the event will be live-streamed. Check Mountain Journal’s Facebook page for more information.  

Not only will Dr. Servheen’s perspective be informative for all who care about the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and the role grizzlies play as true emblems of wildness, but it is especially timely. Growth issues and the industrialization of outdoor recreation are on many minds. The grizzly, Servheen says, is a bellwether. Right now, new bills are moving through state legislatures and there are controversial political attempts afoot in Washington, D.C. to force grizzly bear delisting.

Servheen’s resume with bear conservation is extensive. He presently is an adjunct professor at the University of Montana in Missoula, he was the team leader for efforts to try to hasten reintroduction of grizzlies to the Bitterroot mountains, and, as former co-chair of the IUCN’s bear specialist group, he consulted on conservation involving recovery of different bear species around the world. One of his assignments was investigating the illegal trade in bear parts in Asia and their use in traditional medicine.

For his part, Wilkinson has written about grizzly bear issues in Greater Yellowstone for 35 years. Besides MoJo, his work has appeared in National Geographic and The Guardian. Wilkinson is author of the more recent book, “Ripple Effects: How to Save Yellowstone and America’s Most Iconic Wildlife Ecosystem” which features a chapter on grizzly recovery titled “To Kill A Grizzly.” He also is author of the award-winning book, “Grizzlies of Pilgrim Creek: An Intimate Portrait of 399, the Most Famous Bear in Greater Yellowstone,” featuring the images of Jackson Hole nature photographer Thomas D. Mangelsen. A sequel to that book is due out this summer.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Read more about what Dr. Servheen has written and said about grizzlies in essays that have appeared in Mountain Journal by clicking the links below.