KEEPING BEARS WILD, PEOPLE SAFE

Greater Yellowstone’s grizzly bears symbolize the wild, rugged beauty of this incomparable region. Our work to keep grizzly bears alive over the last four decades has played an important role in grizzly bear recovery but there is still work to do. As Greater Yellowstone grizzly bears continue to expand their range, communities around the ecosystem are encountering new challenges associated with living alongside them. Our goal is to keep bears wild, people safe, and livelihoods in place.

One of the ways we do this is by engaging a wide range of people who care about this region from state and federal agencies to ranchers and other community members. We know that when we work with people to solve

ALSO ACCOMPLISHED IN 2020: complex challenges related to living with this keystone species, solutions for Greater Yellowstone are long-lasting.

Today, grizzly habitat in some areas within Greater Yellowstone’s national forests is fragmented by roads. Fragmentation is harmful to a variety of species, and road density is the number one predictor of grizzly bear mortality. Following up on GYC’s successful partnership to bear-proof all 164 campgrounds in Greater Yellowstone’s five national forests, we have begun a new partnership with the Forest Service to identify previously closed forest roads that are being illegally or unnecessarily used and restore them to natural conditions. The goal is to improve habitat and discourage further use of illegal roads. This multi-year effort will help Greater Yellowstone’s wildlife by rehabilitating habitat across the ecosystem. Meanwhile, we are working to limit conflicts between bears and people. Last summer we installed large, bear-resistant shipping containers at cow camps in the Gravelly Range of the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest. We also provided similar containers to outfitter camps on the Shoshone, Bridger-Teton, and Caribou-Targhee national forests. These containers provide an opportunity for range riders, working cowboys, and hunting guides to prevent potential conflicts by securing attractants

COMING UP:

Campaign

FOCUS

Keeping bears wild, people safe, and livelihoods in place.

Highlights

We are helping restore closed and illegal roads across all five forests and working with people to reduce conflicts between bears and people.

like grain and food, thus keeping grizzly bears wild and people safe.

Thank you for your support to keep bears wild and thriving in Greater Yellowstone.

We also continued our partnerships with the Tom Miner Basin and Centennial Valley Associations to deploy seasonal range riders who monitor large landscapes to help keep bears and wolves away from livestock. These efforts help keep livelihoods in place and build tolerance for bears on working lands. Thanks to your support, our work ensures bears can thrive alongside now and in the future.