New proposal outlines how state would manage grizzlies if delisted

In the event that the federal government delists grizzly bears, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks on Tuesday released a proposed plan for managing ursus arctos horribilis.

The 217-page draft proposal is buttressed by a lengthy environmental impact statement and FAQ section. According to FWP, the proposal will provide more clarity surrounding the management of grizzlies in Montana upon future delisting. Currently, grizzly bears are considered a protected threatened species.

Specifically, the plan includes a strategy for handling bears outside of established recovery zones, how to deal with bears who come into conflict with humans and anticipates the possibility of a grizzly bear hunting season.

Agency Director Hank Worsech said in a statement that the proposal provides a framework for the comprehensive management of the state’s grizzlies, ensuring that the population remains sustainable and healthy.

The document would replace two separate management plans in northwest and southwest Montana — specifically dealing with the core populations near Yellowstone and Glacier national parks. According to state officials, the draft proposal combines the framework and foundations of the previous two regional plans.

The management plan, according to FWP, is designed to ensure Montana has a guidebook for dealing with grizzlies while prioritizing human safety and keeping bears wild.

As grizzlies are listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, management authority rests with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, although the day-to-day management of the bears is handled by the state, tribes and various agencies, like FWP.

The Fish and Wildlife Service recognized six areas in the lower 48 states with recovering grizzly bear populations in 1993, four of which are either fully or partially in Montana. The new proposal focuses on ensuring connectivity between the core populations, but does not manage for bears outside of those areas.

According to the draft, grizzly bear presence outside of those areas comes with a greater likelihood of conflict and poses human safety issues.

Connectivity is the ability for animals, in this case grizzlies, to interact physically with those from a different population. Connectivity is important because it helps to increase genetic and demographic diversity.

“A fundamental tenet of responsible wildlife management is to avoid managing isolated populations that number as few as Montana grizzly bear populations currently do,” the draft reads.

Under the plan, FWP will minimize the removal — meaning relocation or euthanization — in areas where connectivity between populations is likely and will be quicker to remove bears where connectivity is unlikely.

The proposal is already contested by environmentalist groups. According to George Nickas, executive director of the Missoula-based Wilderness Watch, FWP’s plan fails to encourage restoration or healthy management of grizzlies in the state.

“This plan doesn’t help those bears, it doesn’t protect those bears,” Nickas told the Inter Lake. Nickas suggested the state draft a plan that manages how humans interact with the region and its wildlife. The bears will reconnect and diversify themselves if given the chance, he said.

“This is really about people management, not bear management,” Nickas said.

Wilderness Watch also opposes the delisting of grizzly bears, claiming that recovery levels have not been met.

FWP, meanwhile, argues that two designated areas, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and the North Continental Divide Ecosystem — where Yellowstone and Glacier bears are — should be federally delisted.

The proposal says that grizzlies could be subject to a recreational hunt if the governor’s appointed Fish and Wildlife Commission creates it. However, the hunts would be focused on areas where connectivity is unlikely, the plan says.

The plan draws from the many reports including those produced by the Grizzly Bear Advisory Council and the InterAgency Grizzly Bear Committee as well as a survey of Montana attitudes towards grizzly bears.

FWP is asking the public for comments on the plan. People can give feedback by going to the FWP website’s “About FWP” page and clicking on the “comment online” button, or go directly to https://fwp.mt.gov/aboutfwp/public-comment-opportunities. The deadline to submit a comment is Jan. 5, 2023.

Reporter Kate Heston can be reached at kheston@dailyinterlake.com.