7-30 SS Grizzly

We all know that you cannot hunt grizzly bears but they are a huge icon for those of us who are outdoorsmen. They are the ultimate symbol of power and size.  Kind of an American symbol for the great outdoors and we are all interested in seeing this magnificent animal thrive.  However, the grizzly bear has fallen victim to challenges in their habitat and are thus threatened. As part of ongoing efforts required under the Endangered Species Act to monitor the population of grizzly bears in the Yellowstone Ecosystem, the USGS in conjunction with Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks is working to inform the public that pre-baiting and scientific trapping operations will begin soon within the Gallatin National Forest in Montana as part of annual studies of the grizz. USGS Spokesperson Suzanna Soileau: “ Our annual studies include looking for females with cubs of one year, monitoring and trapping individual grizzly bears and when they do this it is helping them gather estimates of rates of reproduction and survival of grizzlies in the ecosystem as well as population. They also document key foods that the bear is eating and the annual mortality meaning where bears are dying and how they are dying. How are bears dying? We have what is called the grizzly bear mortality tables and it tracks how many bears die in the ecosystem each year. This can be a number of ways. Some of them are management removals which are cases in which the bear got too close  and into conflicts with humans, some there is die naturally, some bears die through encounters with other bears, there is a myriad.” A noble effort to save a noble animal.