Grizzly mortality way too high here

Hungry Horse News

The number of grizzly bears killed this year in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem is at its highest level since 1974. And wildlife managers are taking action.

"This kind of jump is a problem, and it is something we can do something about," said Chris Servheen, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grizzly bear recovery coordinator.

Maybe officials can learn from Glacier National Park, which has had zero human-caused grizzly deaths.

In the rest of the ecosystem, humans have killed at least 31 grizzly bears in 2004. The number of management and illegal kills, 13 and 10 respectively, have been particularly high.

People have killed an average of 19.5 grizzlies in the NCDE in the last six years. In 2000, that six-year average was only 14.8.

Since the number of females is particularly crucial in maintaining a sustainable grizzly population, Servheen was especially concerned about the 18 deaths of female bears.

"We can't afford this kind of mortality on an ongoing basis," he said.

Last week, the NCDE grizzly bear subcommittee proposed a pilot project designed to reduce bear mortalities. The effort would include increasing education and ensuring proper garbage storage in specific areas where bear and human habitat overlap, called the "urban interface."

Glacier National Park is a notable exception to this year's rise in bear kills. Park carnivore biologist John Waller attributes part of that to not having many roads or any hunting. But he also said their strict law enforcement and garbage storage policies are a major factor.

He said private landowners should adopt the park's garbage storage methods.

"The message that I hope that people would get is that it's possible and that it's not very hard," Waller said. "It doesn't take a whole lot of effort. Instead of putting your garbage in an open dumpster, put it in a bear-resistant dumpster. It might cost you a few bucks more a month for a bear-resistant model, but it's worth it. We've done it here for decades and it works."

Members discussed the Condon area in the Swan Valley as a possible location for the study, and decided to pursue $10,000 in federal funding for the effort.

Rick Mace, of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, said along with reducing conflicts in the lower Swan Valley, a main goal of the project would be to see what is needed to make a significant impact on human-caused grizzly bear deaths. That would give them a better idea of what would be appropriate action for a larger-scale plan.

Even though the project is in its earliest stage, Mace said he anticipates it starting soon.

"I think what we are going to do is try to get together with locals over the course of the winter here and design a strategy of attack and go from there," he said. "And hopefully things would be available by the time the bears wake up this spring."

The rise in poached grizzlies, which were listed in 1975 as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, was another concern at the meeting.

Illegal kills represented 32.2 percent of this year's total. The long-term illegal kill average is 13.5 percent.

Members of the committee said law enforcement efforts have been increased and federal and state agencies are working together to solve the cases.

A majority of the deaths, 26, were in an area classified as roaded rural. It's where the fringe of human settlements meets the fringe of grizzly habitat. Seventeen of the deaths, or 55 percent, were on private land. The ecosystem is 17 percent private land.

According to Servheen, the bears expanded their territories this year because of natural food shortages. And with more people moving in, that meant there was pressure from both sides.

Servheen said this is a really lethal combination and public cooperation is the most important factor in reversing the mortality trend.

"The majority of bears died because people aren't keeping their food away from bears," Servheen said

He said people in the NCDE need to take some extra steps, such as making sure garbage is stored properly, not having bird feeders accessible and not leaving dog food on the porch.

Brian Peck of the Great Bear Foundation said he would like to see more prosecutions for people who break a state law that disallows leaving bear attractants on your property.

"I think part of the problem is that the law enforcement effort has been low key," Peck said. "If people don't get that this is a serious problem and you are going to be prosecuted than you've got a law enforcement problem. Because if they don't know that this is enforced, or if it isn't enforced, then you might as well not have the law."

Patti Sowka, of the Living with Wildlife Foundation, said the committee should consider tax incentives for people willing to use bear-resistant containers and talk to insurance companies about getting involved.

Black bear mortality on east side of Divide off the charts

CASEY DUNN

Hungry Horse News

Berries were bad up high this summer. So black bears stayed low. And that meant they ran into plenty of humans.

But despite the high number of mingling bears, Fish, Wildlife and Parks personnel in Region 1, which includes the Flathead Valley and the North Fork, killed just seven black bears.

FWP bear management specialist Erik Wenum said that in a normal year they kill seven to 10 black bears. So this year was on the low side.

There were also nine black bear deaths by vehicles and six by trains, which Wenum said was also a normal total. He said they found zero poached black bears.

It was the same story in Glacier National Park, where one black bear was killed near Many Glacier and no other known human-caused bear deaths were reported.

East of the park, on the Blackfeet Reservation, the results were much different. Reservation officials killed 30 black bears. Bear manager Dan Carney said in an average year they kill four to six.

That number reflects the unusually large amount of grizzlies killed this year. More grizzlies were killed in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem, 31, than in any year since 1974.

The reservation had extensive problems with bears marauding for food near restaurants and campgrounds. In two instances, campers sleeping in their tents were swatted by black bears.

"That's the only reason we destroy black bears," Carney said. "It's certainly a safety issue."

Carney said since the bears couldn't eat huckleberries, they were finding whatever garbage was available. And it was more available than he would like.

The reservation needs more bear-resistant dumpsters, Carney said. Next year they are adding more in problem areas. But the containers are expensive and they can only get as many as they can afford.

On the west side of the park, bears were a serious issue but the result was much better. Many black bears searched Flathead valley communities for food. And some became a threat.

According to North Fork resident Larry Wilson, bears broke into seven cabins in that area.

FWP killed two black bears near Whitefish, two near Columbia Falls and three near West Glacier. They handled 87 bears, which is a little lower than normal.

Wenum said their number of management killed bears were lower than the reservations because they did more trapping and relocating. But bears here were definitely getting into garbage and other attractants. He would also like to see property owners using more bear-resistant dumpsters and keeping attractants such as bird feeders and dog food away from bears.

Wenum said Whitefish, which has problem bears each year, is seeking a grant for bear-proofing measures, such as the $11,000 Condon received for bear-resistant containers. He said Whitefish wants to be Northwestern Montana's prototype city for bear management.

"I think they'll actually do fairly well," he said.

Meanwhile, it was a quiet year for bears versus people in Glacier National Park. The park has had bear-resistant food containers and dumpsters for many years. It also has strict food and garbage guidelines for visitors.

"The food and garbage storage is the bedrock of any bear management plan," park carnivore specialist John Waller said.

The park also hazed bear on 207 occasions. Waller said they use adverse conditioning, such as rubber bullets, on bears that are hanging around roads and trails. This keeps them away from visitors who might give them hand-outs.

Waller said the black bear they killed near Many Glacier had previously been shot in the jaw and was very emaciated. He assumes it was shot outside the park and ventured in looking for food.

According to Waller, the huckleberries didn't ripen because of the drought in 2003. With berries, the amount of rain the summer and winter before is most important. This is because plants start to bud off while the plants are still under snow, before summer starts.

Waller expects that since there was more rain this year, next summer's crop should be better.

That would be good news for bears and bear managers alike.