We Can't Make This Sh*t Up...

I have been working my tail off for the last four years trying to get people outside of my "circle" to understand how it actually feels to live and work with numerous grizzly bears on my ranch. I feel like every time I gain an inch, I lose a foot...especially after last week.

Let's start at the beginning. I was appointed to serve on the National Wildlife Services Advisory Committee (NWSAC) for two years - my first meeting was in Washington, DC in September 2019. While in DC, I managed to get a short meeting with Representative Greg Gianforte from Montana to discuss the plight of the ranchers in western Montana that have to deal with grizzlies on a daily basis. He was VERY receptive to my experiences, thoughts, and possible solutions and suggestions of where he could assist.

Following up on that, Greg brought Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to Choteau, Montana, in October to meet with 10-12 landowners, livestock producers, and county commissioners so Sec. Bernhardt could get a full appreciation of what we are facing out here.

Last week, Greg also spoke in favor of a bill that would relax the regulations put forward by the Endangered Species Act so people like me would have a few more resources to tap into, and US Fish and Wildlife Service would have a little more wiggle room when it comes to making decisions about conflict bears. That video can be seen here.

I shared the heck out of that video on social media, applauding and thanking Greg for his efforts. Many other people "up here" did, too.

Then comes the whammy. One of my friends tagged me in a post on FaceBook of a blog entitled, "No, Rep. Gianforte: Grizzlies Are Not Trying to Eat Children."

In the blog, written by a kid from Livingston, Montana, (that should know better), Chris Servheen, the original USFWS Grizzly Bear Recovery Coordinator, says Greg's comments were, "irresponsible and uninformed."

During his time on the Floor, Greg was retelling experiences that my friend Kristen Kipp and I have had with grizzlies, especially where our children were concerned. I will admit, he either misremembered the facts of the stories, or maybe he embellished them for effect - I don't know. The fact of the matter is, he was trying to help us out by sharing our experiences, and was slammed by Servheen for his efforts because Chris doesn't want to admit that his grizzlies actually do stalk people.

“Just because somebody said something doesn’t mean it’s true,” Servheen said. “To repeat such a statement on the floor of the House of Representatives is irresponsible and uninformed.”

In that one statement, Servheen not only ridiculed Greg, he also called Kristen and I liars. Has he been to my house? No. Has he seen the board, not bars, over my daughter's window because she's afraid the bears will come in? Also no. Was he in Kristen's yard when a grizzly came straight toward the sound of her children playing? No, again. Does he live and ranch on the east Front? Also no. Has he personally been present during any of the times Kristen's dad was stalked and charged by grizzlies? Guess what? NO.

This is the board over my daughter's bedroom window. It has been there for ten years.

Just because you don't want to admit something doesn't make it true. Those of us that live and work OUTSIDE know the truth about the dangers that grizzly bears pose to us and our families EVERY SINGLE DAY.

The blatant disrespect that Johnathan Hettinger, Chris Servheen, Barrie Gilbert, and David Mattson showed Greg in this blog is ridiculous, but to come out and say that Kristen and I were lying about our experiences is unacceptable.

I realize they’re “professionals” and they have over 100 years of combined grizzly “experience.” Guess what? Kristen and I were raised in grizzly country, and are now raising our kids in the same place, with even MORE bears, and we have a combined 75 years of experience between the two of us.

We aren't scientists. We are mothers, ranchers, Montanans, and Americans. That doesn't mean their opinions should be more valuable than our actual on the ground experiences. It is time for everyone to sit up and start paying attention - we are the ones providing habitat for the state's wildlife, and that includes grizzly bears, whether we want them here or not. Our lives are just as valuable as someone living in the city, and they are infinitely more valuable than the great grizzly bear.

Don't agree? I'd love to hear why.