DISCLAIMER: THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THIS BLOG ARE THOSE OF ME, PERSONALLY, AND DO NOT REFLECT THE OPINIONS OF THE GBAC.
Our latest Grizzly Bear Advisory Council meeting was held in Polson at the KwaTuqNuk Resort Jan. 14 and 15, 2020. The majority of the conversation for the two days centered around relocation of grizzly bears - both inside recovery zones and outside, in areas known as “connectivity zones.”
The question posed to the Council many times was this, “Where do we relocate these bears, and how do we make new sites socially acceptable?”
That’s a loaded question, and one not easily answered.
One of our Council members answered back, “How can we help you make the process of relocating grizzlies into new areas easier?”
Immediately, I grabbed the microphone and said, “Before you answer that question, keep in mind that not all of us want grizzlies all over the state. No one asked me if I wanted grizzlies on my ranch - they just showed up. There is zero tolerance where I live, and I, personally, will not try to force grizzlies on anyone else.” That’s probably not EXACTLY what I said, but it was something like that. You get my point.
It was interesting to hear the frustrations that the bear managers have in trying to figure out where to relocate grizzlies that have to be trapped for one reason or another - especially the Stevensville bear that got so much attention. Technically, he was headed toward a designated recovery zone, but wasn’t quite there yet and was getting a little too habituated to stay where he was found. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out for that bear and he was removed from the population the next year. But it does raise a really good point - what DO we do with these bears that are beginning to travel between ecosystems?
Most people don’t know that Montana law actually prohibits Fish, Wildlife and Parks from relocating grizzlies outside of their designated recovery zones, which means the Stevensville bear had to be returned to the NCDE. How did FWP determine he came from the NCDE? Educated guess. That's the problem with trying to figure out where to move these bears - pretty hard to tell where some of them came from in the first place.
During our Polson meeting, FWP Wildlife Manager Ken McDonald shared MCA 87-5-711: “Transplantation - The transplantation or introduction of any wildlife is prohibited unless the commission determines, based upon scientific investigation and after public hearing, that a species of wildlife poses no threat of harm to native wildlife and plants or to agricultural production and that the transplantation or introduction of a species has significant public benefits.” In addition, MCA 87-5-702 provides this clarification: “‘Transplantation’ means the release of or attempt to release, intentional or otherwise, wildlife from one place within the state into another part of the state.” And further clarification from MCA 87-5-713: “Any wildlife species listed in 87-5-714 or approved by the commission for transplantation may be introduced or transplanted ONLY subject to a plan developed by the department to assure that the population can be controlled if any unforeseen harm should occur.”
I’ll just let that sink in a minute. Maybe read it again.
Keep in mind that these statutes only apply to the relocation of grizzlies by humans - if the bears wander to a new place on their own, that’s perfectly legal. Grizzly bears will not be removed from a previously unoccupied area unless they are involved in some type of conflict and have to be trapped.
Here's the trouble - grizzly bears are constantly expanding, and even if FWP continues to trap and relocate them back to either the NCDE or the GYE, they're going to keep venturing out. I don't blame people at all for not wanting grizzlies to move into their part of the state - especially livestock producers - but the sad part of the story is there is nothing we can do about it. Bears are going to live where bears are going to live, and the government isn't going to remove them unless they're actually causing damage.
The Council has a monumental task ahead of it, not only with relocation of grizzlies, but with all the other aspects of management and defining social acceptance and tolerance. I just hope that we can keep our focus through the next four meetings so we can get a valuable, comprehensive list of recommendations to the Governor’s office and really help out the agencies with grizzly bear management, as well as protecting private landowners and livestock producers from unnecessary losses.
Our next Council meeting will be held in Libby Feb. 26 and 27, 2020. Why Libby, you ask? Well, its simple. We have tried to have a meeting in or near all the recovery areas in Montana, and Libby is our Cabinet-Yaak location. We do have a meeting in March scheduled for Choteau, and I would hope that the room will be full of producers and other landowners that are concerned about the future management of grizzly bears. Our stories need to be heard, and we’re the only ones that can tell them.
We would love to hear from the public regarding anything related to grizzly bear management. If you can’t make it to the meeting, feel free to send us your statements and questions through our website at www.fwp.mt.gov/GBAC.
