by Michael Howell
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) released the final Statewide Grizzly Bear Management Plan on September 30, 2024. According to an FWP press release, the statewide management plan replaces two existing management plans – those for western Montana and for southwest Montana – with one statewide plan. The release of the plan wraps up an extensive public process analyzing how the state intends to manage the iconic species while it’s federally protected and after it’s turned over to state management.
According to the plan’s Record of Decision, US Fish & Wildlife Service’s Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan of 1993 recognizes six recovery areas, four of which are partly or entirely in Montana: the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE), the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), the Bitterroot Ecosystem and the Cabinet-Yaak Ecosystem. In 2007 and again in 2017, the USFWS designated the grizzly population in the GYE as a distinct population segment (DPS) for the purpose of ESA delisting and delineated a geographic boundary within which this designation applies, and delisting would occur. To delist grizzly bears located in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem, the USFWS may similarly designate the NCDE population as a DPS and delineate a boundary. Delisting of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and the NCDE populations could occur within the time frame typically considered for FWP management plans (typically not less than 10 years), in which case federal oversight of state activities would cease within each DPS boundary. Federal oversight would continue outside DPS boundaries of these populations until targets outlined in the 1993 Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan are met and those recovered populations are delisted.
The federal plan identifies a recovery objective of delisting each of the populations sequentially as they achieve the recovery targets, along with continued Endangered Species Act protection of each population until specific recovery targets are met.
At present, it states in FWP’s current plan, the USFWS has found grizzly bears in two of the recovery areas, the NCDE and the GYE, to have met existing recovery criteria and Montana has petitioned to remove ESA protections from bears in the NCDE and has supported Wyoming in petitioning to remove ESA protections from bears in the GYE. As a result, FWP’s new statewide plan will serve both to inform FWP’s state management of grizzlies bears as an ESA-listed species and to articulate FWP’s vision of management should some or all segments of the species’ distribution within Montana be delisted and full grizzly bear management authority be returned to the state.
“Recognizing that grizzly bears have expanded their occupancy to include many areas beyond the federally designated recovery zones, as well as buffer areas surrounding two of these zones, called Demographic Monitoring Areas, the new plan will inform FWP’s management statewide, focusing on the 30 counties where grizzlies have been documented in recent years, or could conceivably be documented in the near future,” it states in the ROD.
The state’s 2024 Grizzly Bear Plan reflects these updated biological and social conditions and takes advantage of recommendations and perspectives previously provided by the Governor’s Grizzly Bear Advisory Council, as well as a recently completed survey of Montanans’ knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes towards grizzly bears. It reflects existing laws, regulations, and policies, as well as inter-governmental commitments made by FWP and the FWP Commission, the Governor-appointed commission charged with making policy and regulations for managing fish and wildlife in Montana. The plan must inform FWP activities consistent with the grizzly bear’s ESA listed status. It must also anticipate policy and the need for state regulations should the ESA delisting of recovered grizzly bear populations occur in the future. As a matter of required public process, the Commission and/or FWP would seek input from the affected public during the development of any such rules and regulations.
“The recovery of grizzly bears in Montana is an amazing conservation success story for Montanans, particularly those who have learned to live with bears as numbers have expanded over the last two decades,” said FWP Director Dustin Temple in the press release. “This success story also proves again that FWP is committed to managing for healthy wildlife populations across our diverse landscape.”
“This management plan, and the regulatory framework already in place, proves our commitment to keeping grizzly bear numbers healthy and sustainable, while helping people and communities manage for prevention of and effective response to conflicts,” he said.
The plan recognizes that connectivity between populations of bears is an important part of their continued conservation. That connectivity can be aided with outreach and education to help communities and homeowners understand the value of securing attractants and avoiding conflicts.
“People in Montana bring a lot of different values to the table when it comes to grizzly bears,” states Quentin Kujala, Chief of Conservation Policy for FWP, in the press release. “But we know that helping people avoid conflicts with bears and educating them on how to live and recreate safely in bear country is critical.”
She said for FWP, grizzly bear management will continue to center on three main areas of focus: conflict management, research and monitoring, and education and outreach.
Along with the final management plan, the final Environmental Impact Statement was released earlier this month. Additionally, FWP has released a new online dashboard to allow the public to see annual grizzly bear mortalities across the state.
The Grizzly Bear Mortality Dashboard displays mortality information, including the various factors that contribute to grizzly bear deaths in Montana, outside of Tribal lands. By increasing transparency and providing accessible information, FWP aims to educate communities and foster a better understanding of the circumstances that often lead to bear mortalities.
“Tracking grizzly bear mortality is a key metric when we look at bear management,” said FWP Chief of Conservation Policy Quentin Kujala. “This dashboard allows us to be transparent with the public on what kinds of mortality we’re seeing and what the causes are. It will also help reinforce our consistent message of securing attractants and being bear aware to avoid conflicts.”
Grizzly bears in Montana are currently listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). However, Montana has petitioned to remove ESA protections from bears in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE) and has supported Wyoming in petitioning to remove ESA protections from bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE).
Montana is also home to four grizzly bear recovery zones including the NCDE, GYE, the Bitterroot Ecosystem and the Cabinet-Yaak Ecosystem. Between Montana’s portion of all four recovery zones and other areas where grizzly bears have established populations, FWP estimates that about 2,000 grizzly bears are in Montana, though a precise number is difficult to estimate.
In recent years Montana has established a framework of statutes, regulations, rules and a new management plan that give clarity on exactly how grizzly bears would be managed in the state when ESA protections are removed. FWP has also recently relocated two bears from the NCDE to the GYE, establishing genetic connectivity.
These actions have addressed concerns raised by previous court decisions on delisting grizzly bears and provided clarity on what grizzly bear management would look like under state management.
A key piece of Montana’s management would be accurately estimating grizzly bear populations from year to year. One of the data points critical to this estimate is mortalities.
“We know the public is interested and passionate about grizzly bears and their management,” Kujala said. “This dashboard lets them see what’s happening with bear mortalities on a daily basis.”
The Grizzly Bear Mortality Dashboard will update daily at 1 p.m. The dashboard will reset to the new year in January, but data from previous years will be available through FWP’s Grizzly Bear Management webpage.