Under such an approach, this document should be a strategy for initiating, implementing, and 

 learning from a set of localized efforts. What FWP learns from these localized efforts, changed 

 programs, and adapted approaches will become part of the State Grizzly Bear Management Plan. 



This process will entail developing a set of plans on the relatively small scale of Ranger 

 Districts, Conservation Districts, or valleys. FWP, other agencies, local citizens, and wildlife 

 organizations would cooperatively design local strategies tailored to local conditions. These 

 strategies would include monitoring provisions that would require management adaptations as 

 conditions dictate or change. Ultimately, together we would learn from these localized efforts, 

 and develop a basis of knowledge for replicating efforts elsewhere, incorporating successes in 

 the statewide management of this and other species. The underlying basis for this approach is 

 that as bears reoccupy areas from which they have been absent for decades, there are many 

 issues that can't be anticipated or predicted with accuracy. Consequently, this approach allows 

 FWP to adjust the program as necessary. 



Localized efforts have many advantages: 



1 . They tend to generate productive, focused solutions. 



2. They provide low-conflict settings for trying out innovative ideas. 



3. They have tremendous local importance that can help increase political support (e.g., 

 showing that ranchers can and do get along with grizzlies builds support for the 

 agricultural community and for the benefits they provide to the rest of society). 



The adaptive learning approach is ongoing and produces tangible results. In fact, innovative 

 grizzly conservation efforts are already underway in Montana, so we can make use of the lessons 

 already available. This approach will be described in more detail in the local management 

 section. Ultimately this plan and approach will be re-evaluated in 10 years to provide for a 

 complete review of its successes and/or failures. 



History of Bears and Bear Biology in the Greater Yellowstone Area 



The Eurasian brown bear and the North American grizzly are considered the same species (Ursus 

 arctos). Current theory holds that this species developed its large size, aggressive temperament, 

 flexible feeding habits, and adaptive nature in response to habitats created by intermittent 

 glaciation. It is believed that ancestors of the grizzly bear migrated to North America from 

 Siberia across a land bridge at the Bering Strait at least 50,000 years ago. As the continental ice 

 sheet receded about 10,000 years ago, the species began to work its way south over post glacial 

 North America. 



European explorers found grizzlies throughout most of the American West, including northern 

 Mexico. It is not known exactly how many grizzlies lived in the U.S. before 1700, but based on 

 historical sightings and modem-day densities, it is estimated that around 50,000-100,000 bears 

 lived in parts of 1 7 states. 



Prior to 1 800, grizzly bears were undoubtedly common in the Yellowstone area. With newly 

 acquired access to firearms by indigenous people and westward expansion of settlers, bears 



