Together these two wilderness areas make up the largest contiguous block of wilderness habitat in the 

 Rocky Mountains south of Canada. Of all remaining unoccupied grizzly bear habitat in the lower 48 

 states, this area in the Bitterroot Mountains affords one of the best possibilities for grizzly bear recovery. 

 As such, the region offers excellent potential to recover a healthy population of grizzly bears and to boost 

 long-term survival and recovery prospects for this species in the contiguous U.S. The recovery of the 

 grizzly bear in the Bitterroot would also aid in restoration of Nez Perce Tribe cultural and spiritual values 

 related to the grizzly- 



Historically, the grizzly bear was a widespread inhabitant of the Bitterroot Mountains in central Idaho 

 and western Montana. When Lewis and Clark traveled through the Bitterroot country in 1806, grizzly 

 bears were abundant. They killed at least 7 grizzly bears including 1 female and 2 cubs while camped 

 near present-day Kamiah, Idaho. Grizzly bears were common in central Idaho until the early 1900s. One 

 author wrote of killing dozens of grizzly bears over several years in the Bitterroot Mountains. A major 

 influx of hunters, trappers, and settlers at the turn of the century, and later sheepherders, were 

 responsible for direct mortality and elimination of grizzly bears from the Bitterroot area. Conservative 

 estimates indicate trappers and hunters killed 25 to 40 grizzly bears annually in the Bitterroot Mountains 

 during the early 1900s. Tlie last verified death of a grizzly bear in the Bitterroot ecosystem occurred in 

 1932 and the last tracks were observed in 1946. Although occasional unverified reports of grizzly 

 sightings persist, no verified tracks or sightings have been documented in more than 50 years. 



In 1975, the grizzly bear was listed as a threatened species in the 48 contiguous states under the U.S. 

 Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq .). At that time the Bitterroot 

 ecosystem, along with the Northern Continental Divide and Yellowstone ecosystems were listed as areas 

 where grizzly bears were known or thought to exist and where recovery should be emphasized. 



A Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan, finalized in 1982, called for the evaluation of the Selway-Bitterroot country 

 as a potential recovery area. At that time the Bitterroot ecosystem was classified as an Evaluation Area 

 because it was in need of more research to determine habitat quality and whether grizzly bears still 

 occurred there. The Bitterroot Evaluation Area (BEA) encompassed about 5,500 mi". The boundary 

 ranged from the St. Joe River Watershed divide in the north, to the Salmon River in the south, the 

 transition of roaded and unroaded National Forest land in the west, to the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness 

 boundary and Fish creek road in Montana in the east. 



Attempts to verify presence of grizzly bears continued through the 1980s and are ongoing. Numerous 

 studies have failed to verify the presence of grizzly bears in this region. Three different habitat studies 

 were conducted from 1979 through 1991 to investigate habitat suitability of the BE for grizzly bears. The 

 authors suggested habitat in the BEA was sufficient to support grizzly bears. An interagency group of 

 grizzly bear scientists reviewed the information and concurred, suggesting the BEA could support 

 between 200 and 400 bears. Following these efforts in 1991, the IGBC endorsed the Bitterroot ecosystem 

 as a recovery area and recommended the USFWS pursue grizzly bear recovery in this region. 

 The ecosystem includes about 16,686,596 acres (26,073 mi-) of contiguous national forest lands in central 

 Idaho and western Montana. These include all or parts of the Bitterroot, Boise, Challis, Clearwater, Nez 

 Perce, Payette, Sawtooth, Salmon, and Panhandle National Forests in Idaho, and the Bitterroot and Lolo 

 National Forests in western Montana. A few scattered parcels of private and state land are interspersed 

 throughout this area, but total acreage is minor. 



The center of the area is characterized by 3 large wilderness areas covering a contiguous area of almost 4 

 million acres (6,250 mi=). These include the Frank Church-River of No Return (2,361,767 acres, 3690 mi'). 



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