areas that are biologically suitable and socially acceptable. This should allow FWP to 

 achieve and maintain population levels that support managing the bear as a game animal 

 along with other species of native wildlife and provide some regulated hunting when and 

 where appropriate. 



These goals will be achieved by addressing the following issues identified early in the planning 

 process: human safety, habitat, population monitoring, fiature distribution, trails programs, 

 livestock conflicts, property damage, nuisance guidelines, hunting, enforcement concerns, 

 education, and fiinding. The success of grizzly bear management in Montana will be contingent 

 upon FWP's ability to address these issues in a way that builds social support for grizzlies. 



President Theodore Roosevelt stated: "The nation behaves well if it treats the natural resources 

 as assets which it must turn over to the next generation increased and not impaired in value". It 

 is FWP's hope that this plan will allow the next generation of Montanans to manage a grizzly 

 bear population that has increased in both numbers and distribution in southwestern Montana. 



Development of this plan is fiarther guided by recommendations of a group of citizens referred to 

 as the Governors' Roundtable. This group was appointed by the governors of Montana, 

 Wyoming, and Idaho and was composed of five representatives from each of the three states. 

 These citizens were selected to represent a cross section of the people interested in grizzly bears 

 in the greater Yellowstone area, and their purpose was to review the draft Conservation Strategy 

 for grizzlies prepared by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC). The Roundtable was 

 able to reach unanimous agreement on all 26 of its recommendations (Appendix A). 



Among the key recommendations was support for continued management of the proposed 

 Primary Conservation Area (PCA) as a secure "core" area for grizzly bears within the 

 Yellowstone Ecosystem (Fig. 1). The group also recommended that the three states develop 

 management plans for the areas outside the PCA to: 



1 . Ensure the long-term viability of bears and avoid the need to relist the species under the 

 Endangered Species Act. 



2. Support expansion of grizzly bears beyond the PCA in areas that are biologically suitable 

 and socially acceptable. 



3. Manage the gnzzly bear as a game animal including allowing regulated hunting when 

 and where appropriate. 



Purpose and Need 



The need for this plan was precipitated by changes in bear management in the Yellowstone 

 Ecosystem during the 1980-90s, resulting in increasing numbers and expanding distribution of 

 grizzly bears in this area. Current approaches to land management, wildlife management, and 

 recreation within the PCA appear to be providing the conditions needed to establish a population 

 of bears outside the PCA. It is FWP's objective to maintain existing renewable resource 

 management and recreational use where possible and to develop a process where FWP, working 

 with local publics, can respond to demonstrated problems with appropriate management changes. 

 By maintaining existing uses, which allows people to continue their lifestyles, economies, and 



