Distinctly Montana Magazine

D I S T I N C T L Y M O N T A N A M A G A Z I N E • F A L L 2 0 1 9 26 M O N TA N A i n G R I Z Z L I E S yea rs 3 THE YEAR IS 2049. WHAT DOES THE MONTANA GRIZZLY BEAR POPULATION LOOK LIKE? e prognosis really depends on whether grizzlies are managed by the states or federal government—and that question has not yet been resolved by the courts. If Montana is given management authority over grizzlies, we can expect to see fewer grizzlies outside currently occupied habitat centered on Yel- lowstone and Glacier National Parks. If the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) continues to manage grizzlies—as has been the case almost continuously for over 40 years under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)—we can expect more grizzlies in more places, includ- ing between Glacier, Yellowstone, the Cabinet Yaak—as well as colonizing grizzlies in the vast Selway Bitterroot ecosystem where they have been extirpated. Montana is blessed with ample suitable habitat to support more grizzlies and to recon- nect long-isolated grizzly bear populations, which scientists maintain is essential for long term recovery of species. Whether that hap- pens depends on which agency is in charge, and on who has a controlling voice in manage- ment—whether citizens at the local, state, or national levels. WHERE IN MONTANA WOULD THE BEAR POPU- LATION SHRINK, AND WHERE MIGHT IT GAIN GROUND? Grizzlies are showing us with their paws where they can gain ground. Northern Conti- nental Divide grizzlies are moving east outward from the Rocky Mountain Front, south to- wards the Bitterroot Valley and Sapphires, west to the Cabinet Yaak, and southeast towards Greater Yellowstone. Meanwhile, Yellowstone grizzlies are moving west to the Centennial and Gravelly Mountains, and east along the Beartooth Front. Scientists agree that in the next century, we could see all remaining popu- lations reconnected if current trends continue. But grizzlies have extremely low reproduc- tive rates, which means that excessive killing could quickly reverse the progress. Grizzlies could lose ground everywhere outside the Na- tional Parks with even relatively small increases in rates of death, which are currently driven almost wholly by humans. BRETT SWAIN Bear and Horse dance with Laura Grizzlypaws www.distinctlymontana.com/grizzly194 DISTINCTLY MONTANA | DIGITAL

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