Grizzlies head south into JH

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

By Grace Hammond

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-If last year was the summer of black bears, 2008 could be the summer of grizzlies.

Wildlife and park officials said Jackson Hole is likely to see a continued increase in grizzly bear visits during the coming months, thanks to a growing bear population moving south in search of territory and food supply.

“Get it in your head: we’re living in grizzly country,” said Jackie Skaggs, the public affairs specialist for Grand Teton National Park. “It’s difficult for old-timers to accept. We’ve always been accustomed to grizzlies ranging in remote, northern locations. But they’re coming.”

The numbers game
The grizzly bear population recovered over the past decade under the Endangered Species Act. While technically de-listed last March, grizzlies still benefit from a unique legal status and cannot be hunted.
But the land that grizzlies occupied before their numbers swelled cannot support the increased population, causing many bears to roam longer distances for territory and food.

“All the available habitat is taken,” Skaggs said. “They are moving from traditional core habitats.”

Officials point to the presence of the high-profile grizzly bear No. 399 and her three cubs, which have been seen as far south as the Ditch Creek area and Blacktail Butte, near Moose. The mother and cubs demonstrate what wildlife officials describe as a larger trend.

“We’ve always known [grizzles] are around here more and more in the past 10 years,” said Mark Gocke, a spokesman for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. “But No. 399 is the first griz around here that’s been as visible. Otherwise, it’s the whole out of sight out of mind thing.”

This summer the park will prioritize educating the visiting public and locals about the presence of grizzly bears in human-inhabited areas, a fact that Skaggs believes valley residents must come to terms with as grizzlies continue to range south.
Anywhere in Jackson Hole “is grizzly habitat now,” Skaggs said. “They’re not just in Yellowstone anymore.”

Reasons to roam
A change in food supply further drives grizzly migration. White bark pine is one of the last ripe foods available to grizzlies in the fall as they prepare for hibernation.
If the amount of white bark pine decreases, as it did last year during the drought, bears will range further for both food and territory.

While drought may not be a concern this year, a more troubling problem looms: blister rust, a plant disease that is spreading and threatens to decimate supply.
“Low amounts of white bark pine means high conflict,” Gocke said.

The long winter
In 2007, Game and Fish responded to more than 200 bear conflicts in the area, almost exclusively with black bears. This topped the five previous years combined.
But there is good news and bad news for both grizzly and black bears as they emerge from hibernation this spring.

The substantial snow pack, compared to the drought last year, means good moisture and a “more normal bear year” in terms of food availability, Skaggs said.
But the snow pack creates a longer winter, a liability for bears.

“Snow makes it harder,” Gocke said. “Last year at this time, bears could strike out in to the hills. But there’s still 2 to 3 feet of snow in some places.”
With so much snow still in the bears’ typical mountainous territory, grizzlies’ options are restricted, meaning they could end up more concentrated on the valley floor, Gocke added.

Some animals will die off as the winter comes to a close. Mortality rates increase due to exposure, inability to access food sources and conflict with people, such as car accidents.
“If you were teetering on the edge this would be the year you didn’t make it,” Gocke said. “Bears went into the dens in poor condition and they will come out in poor condition.”

A continuing cycle
Twelve-year-old bear No. 399 and her cubs remain a walking reminder of the expansion of grizzly habitat. The family of four is due to split up any day now in order for the life cycle to begin again.

Skaggs said No. 399 will probably breed again in June, and the suitor will chase the grown cubs away. Where they will go is a question that concerns both Game and Fish department and area residents.

If No. 399 breeds again as expected, she will give birth while hibernating and debut with her new cub or cubs at this time next spring.
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Grizzlies head south into JH | Planet JH News Article: General Environment

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