Bear injures employee picking berries in Glacier

An off-duty employee of Glacier National Park was injured by a bear Saturday evening on the east side of Glacier, according to a park spokesman.

Public information officer Tim Rains said the employee was picking berries a quarter mile off the trail near Red Rock Falls in the Many Glacier area when she surprised the bear, believed to be a grizzly sow. He declined to name the employee, but said the bear injured her leg and hands.

The injuries are not life-threatening.

Rains said she was hiking with a companion and was carrying bear spray, but did not have an opportunity to discharge the canister.

“She walked most of the way back, and then was carried on a litter the remaining portion of the [Swiftcurrent] Trail,” Rains said. “We believe it was a grizzly — there was a sow and her cubs noticed in the area, but we do not have a definitive confirmation.”

She was first taken by Glacier County EMS to Browning for medical attention before being transported to Kalispell Regional Medical Center, where Rains said she is currently being treated for her wounds.

Because the attack resulted from a surprise encounter, Rains said park officials are not actively searching for the bear.

The last bear attack in Glacier occurred in late September 2015 when a grizzly attacked a Wisconsin man who had been hiking off-trail near Mount Henkel in the Many Glacier Valley. The man was grabbed and shaken, but released after deploying his bear spray at the grizzly. His injuries were minor, according to park officials.

Bear activity typically increases during the end of summer and beginning of fall as the animals begin fattening up in preparation for the denning season. Before reopening to public use on Friday, the popular Highline Trail near Logan Pass was closed for about a week after a grizzly was spotted feeding on a mountain goat.

“There are a lot of bears being spotted in high-visitation areas right now because it is berry season,” Rains said. “People are out and about berry-picking, which is a great Montana pastime.”

The Swiftcurrent Pass Trail has been closed up to Swiftcurrent Lookout. The Iceberg Lake and Ptarmigan Tunnel trails in the Many Glacier area also have been closed for the past week due to bear activity.

Earlier this month, in a separate incident, a grizzly bear got into a day pack that was left behind at Avalanche Lake.

Park officials closed the area and set up a backpack with an electrified fence around it in an attempt to shock the bear — and perhaps teach it a lesson if it returned. But the grizzly didn’t return. A black bear, however, tried to grab the pack, but was shocked.

The park recorded that incident on remote camera.

The Avalanche Lake Trail has since reopened and the area is no longer posted for bear activity.

People hiking in Glacier are reminded that carrying bear spray is an effective method of bear deterrence. Park officials also highly recommend making noise when hiking on trails. All of Glacier is good bear habitat. The park has about 300 grizzlies and 600 black bears.

Park visitors can check the online trail status page for an updated list of temporary trail closures, bear-related or otherwise: www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/trailstatusreports.htm.