1-20 SS Grizz Outlook

What sign of the great American wilderness stands out stronger than the grizzly bear? Big, strong, beautiful... so when I got a press release discussing grizzly bear recovery from the USGS I got a little nervous and called up spokesperson Chris Servheen.

"Is the grizzly bear population healthy? Yes. Very healthy. They are doing well. And what is the number 1 threat to this population of you in? Private land development around the Yellowstone ecosystem. As we see more and more people who want to live in the mountains, people tend to move in to areas where grizzlies live without having the skills and knowledge regarding securing their garbage, not having fruit trees, chickens and gardens where there are bears and education and outreach to those people is an ongoing issue. Private land development is the number 1 threat all wild animals in the Rocky Mountains. How much of an impact does the wolf population have on grizzlies? None that we can measure. I had a discussion with a very seasoned outdoor guide who would tell you something quite different which we'll air soon.