problems. FWP will continue to promote the development of new techniques and devices that 

 can be used to protect agricultural products from bear damage. 



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. They have also purchased dogs and made them 

 available for hazing bears away from houses and humans. These programs will be a key 

 component of any long-term solutions to these issues. 



One of the issues that frequently comes up regarding livestock damage is that of compensation of 

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

 Defenders of Wildlife through the Bailey Grizzly Compensation Trust) to continue compensating 

 operators, the agency prefers to take the approach of providing flexibility to operators as a long- 

 term solution. Giving operators the opportunity to develop proactive problem-solving plans to 

 respond to a potential problem before it develops can build support for the long-term program of 

 increasing bear numbers and distribution. Compensation relies on verification that is not 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 provides landowners 

 flexibility within reason and with some constraints, FWP believes it will build broader public 

 support. Groups interested in conservation of the bear will need assurances that the flexibility 

 provided will not jeopardize long-term survival or ongoing recovery prospects. These needs can 

 be met, and the State Legislature has adjusted statutes to assure that this is the case (Senate Bill 

 163). This statute will allow FWP to adjust the flexibility afforded to landowners if needed due 

 to excessive mortality. 



An alternative suggested and considered was to force livestock operators to absorb losses that 

 occurred on public lands no matter what the cost. However, in FWP's judgement, this approach 

 fails to recognize the significant contribution of private lands, which provide important bear 

 conservation benefits. In fact, in many portions of the GYE these same private lands are critical 

 to the survival of the bear and to accommodating an expanded distribution of the population. If a 

 permittee could not manage depredation risks on public lands, the converse is allowing them to 

 eliminate risks (meaning bears) on their private lands. This either/or approach is not a 

 productive solution to these problems. Additionally, this approach actually significantly 

 conflicts with the FWP objective of building public support necessary for expansion and long- 

 term survival of bear populations. 



Property Damage 



> FWP will focus on preventive measures, including the elimination of attractants, and better 

 sanitation measures; the agency's bear management specialist will work on these issues on 

 public and private lands. 



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

 stationed in Bozeman and evaluate the need for an additional position stationed in Region 5. 



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