DESPITE RELISTING DECISION, YELLOWSTONE GRIZZLY BEARS ARE DOING WELL

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 CODY - Despite a recent court decision that put the Yellowstone region's grizzly bears back on the Endangered Species List, the bears are "doing well and have a bright future," according to Steve Schmidt, Chair of the interagency Yellowstone Grizzly Coordinating Committee.

                "A team of highly qualified and committed professionals have worked tirelessly since 1983 to increase grizzly bear numbers from roughly 200 in 1983 to 600 today," said Schmidt.

Recently, the interagency team of federal, state, tribal and local officials who serve on the Yellowstone Grizzly Coordinating Committee met in Jackson to continue their charge of implementing the Yellowstone grizzly bear conservation strategy.   In a presentation before the 22-member committee, Dr. Chuck Schwartz, team leader of the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team, stated the population of grizzlies is currently estimated at almost 600 bears.

                 "This is a very conservative estimate and we feel the population continues to grow by at least two percent," Schwartz said. "Of the females observed, 19 were accompanied by twins, 11 by triplets and there were two females with quadruplets." Multiple offspring is generally a sign of a healthy and vibrant population.

                The committee has been aggressively applying actions to reduce conflicts between bears, humans and livestock.  The committee is pursuing 27 specific recommendations to reduce bear/human conflicts and bear mortalities.  "It is rewarding to see multiple agencies come together toward the common objective of successfully managing this recovered population of grizzly bears.  This collaborative approach is important to ensuring the long term viability of Yellowstone grizzlies," Schmidt said.

                Bear management representatives reported to the committee that management actions taken by Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks and the Wind River Indian Reservation were considerably lower than usual in 2009. Wyoming, home to over forty percent of the Yellowstone grizzly bear population (not including bears in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks), reported an average year with approximately 100 to 150 conflicts. Montana reported 39 conflicts, Idaho two conflicts, Wind River Indian Reservation two conflicts, Yellowstone National Park one conflict and Grand Teton National Park went conflict free. Twenty-seven grizzly bear mortalities were reported in 2009, of which 23 were human caused, two were natural and two were undetermined.

The Yellowstone grizzly population had been removed from the federal Endangered Species List and managed by the states since April of 2007.  The decision to delist the bears was opposed and litigated by a coalition of environmental groups.  Last summer, a federal district court overturned the delisting and put grizzlies back on the list.  That decision put Yellowstone grizzlies back under federal authority.  Two facts remain: grizzly bear populations are doing well in the Yellowstone ecosystem, and subsequent conflicts and management challenges will follow. 

"The multiple partnerships developed to manage the delisted Yellowstone grizzlies are the best solution to the challenges the species will face in the years ahead," Schmidt said. 

"The states and our partners working together to manage this species was a great example of how adaptive management should work," said Bill Rudd, committee member and Assistant Wildlife Division Chief for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. "There will always be challenges with management. But a flexible system of management that existed when grizzlies were delisted provides for a proven model of successful wildlife management."
(Contact Dennie Hammer (307) 527-7125)

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