> Areas of potential focus to address problems with movement of bears are the Madison 

 and Paradise valleys, Gallatin Canyon, Bozeman Pass, Centennial Valley/Range west 

 to Monida Pass, Upper Madison/Raynold's Pass area. 



An alternative considered was limiting grizzly bear distribution to just the PCA. 

 However, in FWP's judgment this approach is logistically impossible and biologically 

 undesirable. In order to maintain resiliency in the population to changes in habitat, 

 tolerance levels and other factors, bears need to be allowed to occupy a broader 

 landscape. Also, bears cannot be confined to the PCA because there are no barriers to 

 contain them, and it is impossible to know the location of every animal all the time. 



Trails 



Trails have the potential to impact bears through disturbance and increased human 

 access. The preferred approach includes: 



> FWP will gather information on trail use. 



> All FWP trails projects will be reviewed by area biologists and grizzly bear concerns 

 addressed. 



> Federal trails programs are currently being adjusted, and FWP is participating in and 

 supporting those efforts. 



> Adjustments to trail access and uses should be developed through local citizen 

 involvement using the best available science. 



> FWP will evaluate snowmobile programs to ensure they avoid impacting grizzly 

 bears during denning periods, including den entrance and emergence. 



An alternative considered was to deal with bear specific trail restrictions prior to 

 reoccupancy. However, in our judgment, this approach would result in unnecessarily 

 impacting user groups without clear evidence of a problem. FWP's efforts on this issue 

 are intended to build higher levels of social acceptance across user groups while still 

 providing the necessary mechanisms to respond should problems occur. 



Livestock Conflicts 



Grizzly bear can occasionally cause significant losses of livestock. To address these 

 situations, the preferred approach includes: 



> Wildlife Services will continue to be the lead agency dealing with livestock 

 depredation. 



> FWP focus will be on preventive programs to minimize livestock conflicts with 

 priority toward those areas with a history of conflict or currently occupied by bears. 



> FWP will work with beekeepers to provide electric fences for all apiaries accessible 

 to bears, and FWP will re-evaluate the guidelines for bear depredation to beehives 

 and modify if needed. 



>• FWP will encourage private fimding for compensation of livestock loss. 



