This project is partially funded. $528 is still needed to fund this project in full.
Grizzly bears are at the heart of what makes Glacier National Park unique. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will soon begin to consider delisting the species, and a proposal to delist the bears could occur in the next two years. In order to ensure the continued health of the population, monitoring and management will be required after delisting.
Preliminary research suggests there are small areas along park boundaries where the population may be declining. Because of the number and diversity of bears in Glacier, it is likely that management efforts outside of the park will shift, making this research critical to the entire Crown of the Continent Ecosystem.
This project will use existing data to help create a future monitoring plan that would include the collection of hair samples to determine grizzly bear population size and trends, and examine the influence of habitat, human-bear interactions, and weather on the distribution of bears. This will provide the framework needed to create a conservation plan with neighboring management agencies.
