At the present time, private conservation groups in Montana assist in developing preventative 

 approaches, and FWP will cooperate with them to address this issue. Defenders of Wildlife has already 

 cost shared the purchase of electric fence to protect sheep and bee yards through their Proactive 

 Carnivore Conservation Fund. Such cost share or cooperative programs will be a key component of any 

 long-term solutions to these issues. 



In any discussion of livestock damage, an issue that is frequently raised concerns offering compensation 

 to livestock operators for their losses to bears. While FWP encourages private groups (notably Defenders 

 of Wildlife through the Bailey Wildlife Foundation Proactive Carnivore Conservation Fund) to continue 

 compensating operators, the agency prefers to take the approach of providing management flexibility to 

 landowners as a long-term solution to preventing livestock conflicts and depredation. Providing 

 operators the opportunity to develop proactive problem solving plans to respond to potential conflicts 

 before they develop can build support for the long-term program of increasing bear numbers and 

 distribution. Moreover, compensation relies on verification that may not be easily accomplished in 

 Montana's multi-predator environment. It also requires assessment of value, which can vary greatly 

 between individual animals (for example, not every cow has the same value), and it requires ongoing 

 funding sources. Fundamentally, however, it deals with a problem after it has occurred. 



If Montana can implement a program that affords landowners management flexibility within reason to 

 prevent livestock-grizzly conflicts and with some constraints, FWP believes it will build broader public 

 support. Groups interested in conservation of the bear will, however, need assurances that such 

 flexibility will not jeopardize long-term survival or ongoing recovery prospects. 



Property Damage 



Bears can, and will on occasion, damage personal property other than livestock. For example, they may 

 enter buildings, chew on snowmobile seats or tear down fruit trees. In fact, bears are highly attracted to 

 almost any potential food source. Processed human food, gardens, garbage, livestock and pet feeds, 

 livestock carcasses, and septic treatment systems are particularly attractive to bears near camps and 

 residential areas, and are often the cause of human-bear conflicts. FWPs objective is to minimize, to the 

 extent possible, property damage caused by grizzly bears. 



> FWP will focus on preventive measures, including management aimed at elimination of attractants, 

 and better sanitation measures; the agency's bear management specialists will work on these issues 

 on both public and private lands. 



> FWP will seek funding to continue the grizzly bear management specialist positions currently 

 stationed in Missoula, Kalispell, and Choteau. The IGBC has also recognized the need to create 

 additional positions in the Cabinet- Yaak and FWP will investigate funding positions within the 

 Cabinet- Yaak and Bitterroot areas. 



> FWP will evaluate the need for an insurance program for propertv damage, if bear-friendly 

 guidelines are followed. 



FWT will work to identify potential sources of attractants and will work with private property owners, 

 recreationists, and government agencies to reduce the source of attractant with long-term resolution 

 being emphasized and making attractants inaccessible to bears. When the attractant cannot be 

 eliminated, FWP will provide technical assistance to protect the property and to reduce the potential for 

 human-bear conflicts. Techniques to prevent damage mav include aversive conditioning, physical 

 protection (i.e., electric fencing), relocating or removing offending animals, and deterrent devices. FWP 



37 



