Fall is never a dull time in grizzly country, and this year the season seems to have brought a particularly steady stream of incidents between bears and people. From run-ins with hunters high in the backcountry to chicken coop raids in the valleys, too many encounters have ended badly for both four-legged and two-legged participants.
It's never simple to pinpoint the cause of a conflict. From a poor summer of berry growth in a bear's home range to hotter and longer heat waves impacting foraging behavior to an ever-growing human presence as grizzly populations slowly expand, many things can lead a bear into trouble. What's easier to highlight, thankfully, are solutions.
Habitat protection and conflict prevention must walk hand in hand if people and grizzlies are to share the landscapes of the Northern Rockies for generations to come. Bears need open, undeveloped land to move through-not just in protected wilderness areas and national parks but in the valleys and on the rangelands that connect their habitat strongholds. Without these connections, populations become genetic islands that eventually wink out, a threat that is far from hypothetical for the small-as in, under 100 bears-but enduring grizzly populations of the Cabinet-Yaak and Selkirk areas in Northwest Montana and North Idaho.
A connected landscape only helps animals if they can move across it without dying, of course. And grizzlies are dying too often when they venture out of their core habitat areas. With places like the Seeley-Swan setting the standard, communities within the Great Bear's slowly-growing range play an essential role in the well-being of our grizzly cohabitants. Bear-proof garbage bins, livestock carcass removal programs on ranchlands, electric fencing for commercial dumpsters and backyard chickens, bear spray training for residents and visitors alike: the list of conflict prevention opportunities is long and its implementation must continue, across places both familiar with the grizzly's presence and those newly adapting to it.
Vital Ground's mission includes both of these essential prongs in the work of grizzly conservation. As an accredited land trust, we utilize voluntary conservation agreements with landowners and strategic land purchases to directly protect habitat on key private lands. As a grant-making foundation, we back the community-led programs that make shared landscapes safer for bears and people alike. And thanks to the grizzly's role as a conservation umbrella species, both prongs of our work extend to benefit our region's full and irreplaceable diversity of life, from black bears and cougars to trumpeter swans and bull trout. As co-founder Lynne Seus articulates, "Where the grizzly can walk, the Earth is healthy and whole."
Boots on the Ground
As bears strive to fatten up before winter, Vital Ground's conservation impact is also getting bigger to close out the year. Most recently, an early October land purchase near the confluence of Montana's Bull River and Clark Fork expands the protection of a key linkage zone between the Cabinet and Bitterroot mountains. Vital Ground has now conserved three adjacent properties and over 150 acres in this crucial area over the last two years. The more pathways into the Bitterroot we can protect, the more likely grizzlies are to naturally reestablish a resident population there and eventually, perhaps, achieve genetic exchange through Idaho between Greater Yellowstone's grizzlies and bear populations to the north.
"Collaborating with Vital Ground in their purchase of our property has exceeded our expectations while aligning with common interests," said Mark Hedges on behalf of the Hedges family, the previous owners of the recently-protected Bull River acreage. "Our family found an opportunity that provided personal benefit while aligning with our goal of being a good steward of the land."
In the Seeley-Swan, meanwhile, our 2023 conflict prevention partnerships include support for Swan Valley Bear Resources' Bear Aware Bigfork program and their long-running electric fencing program for landowners. We are also excited to provide early support for the new Clearwater Valley Bear Smart working group as they engage in hazard assessment and public education.
From protecting crucial acres to equipping bear-aware communities, Vital Ground's two-pronged conservation work depends on our supporters. There are many ways to contribute: you can set up a sustaining monthly gift at vitalground.org, mail in a year-end check, or sport Vital Ground's charity license plate bearing Monte Dolack's timeless grizzly artwork. Most immediately, you can do your part to keep bears out of trouble this fall: secure attractants on your property, carry bear spray and practice the steps required to use it, and encourage your friends and neighbors to do the same. We each have a role to play in creating a more balanced, mutually-supporting landscape for all walks of life.
From all of us at Vital Ground, here's to a safe and abundant end to the fall. We'll catch you after hibernation season!
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