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NCDE Grizzly Bear Subcommittee Meeting
Thursday - April 24, 2008
Jim Satterfield opened the meeting at 9:10 a.m., with introductions and general housekeeping issues.
Information & Education Update / NCDE Website Denise /Kim /Fraley/Chuck B.
IGBC allocates $36K annually for Information and Education. Kim Annis / Libby speaks about the website. Has completed the website for the CYE and is now undertaking the updating of the one for the NCDE. Kim will be contacting most everyone is this room for additional information for the website. The good news is that all of the information has already been written, Kim will be compiling it for use on the website.
John Fraley speaks about mistaken identity of the grizzly that was taken from the flathead drainage this week. I&E is warning through new releases not to hunt black bear yet because really only grizzly bears is out at this time.
Grizzly bear decoys are being worked on and will be deployed in near future.
May 3, is Bear Aware Day in Whitefish at O’Shaunessy Center from 1:00 to 3:00, (or from 2:00 to 4:00)?
Grizzly Bear Monitoring Status Rick Mace/Tony Chilton
Trend monitoring report is now up on the Internet. 70 bears on the air in 2007. Goal of 100 female bear years, we currently have 57 female bear years and 16 sub female bear years. Will take a couple more years. Under sampled in GNP and over-sampled in the Swan. Increased our use cameras at trap sites, which has allowed us to reduce the amount of un-needed captures. Allows us to see what types of bears are visiting a site so that we can decide whether we’ll trap. Culvert traps have been flown into the park where females are known to frequent and traps can now be opened by a remote garage door opener thanks to John Waller and Tim Manley. This has drastically increased safety. Also, we are using a new tranquilizer drug that allows us to decrease the volume of the drug that can be given to a bear. The new drug allows us to reverse the bear from the drug quicker, which reduces the amount of handling time.
We need as many volunteers as possible with the black bear DNA effort with about 250 sites July 7-9, 21-23.
Introduction of new member of our team, Erik Peterson, extensive background with radio telemetry…welcome!
10:00-10:15 Break
Grizzly Bear DPS Progress Chris Servheen
Brief over view of listed species to see if they should remain as they are or make changes. This happens every 5 years. Currently listed species go farther down the list. Speaks about DPS analysis: discreteness and significance = must meet both to be a DPS. Species biology, what’s included in 5-year review, habitat conditions (amount, suitability, distribution, historic range, fragmentation, etc), conservation measures, 5-factor threat analysis (must be considered for each DPS area after the DPS is determined.) What is the end product after the 5-year review? ----Recommendations as to what should go on in the future and how to do it. (Hopefully recommendations will take place in the fall of 2008 for the first series of recommendations.) Info from the new survey that Tonya spoke about will also be very useful.
Grizzly Bear Mortality Report Chris Servheen
Overview of the mortalities in 2007(25) with relationship to the entire period. Hwy 2 corridor continues to be an area of concern as far as mortalities. Long term trend of mortalities within the system….series of declines in late 70’s, and have gradually increasing ever since the 90’s. Primary causes of mortality are train, mgmt, illegal, trapping, self-defense, auto, and unknown.
Where bears die = usfs, private lands, bnsf, bir, fir, fwp, GNP, hwy. Bir=blackfeet Indian res, fir = flathead Indian res.)
Ultimate reasons that bears die in NCDE = human food & livestock, train/auto, illegal, self defense, human fatal, handling, unknown. From 1999-2007 there have been 172 deaths that we know of. Average of 20.75 known mortalities per year for 2000-2007.
The NCDE population is expanding. Not unusual at all for adult males to roam quite long distances and, are seeing more & more bears further and further to the east. Chris thinks that in years to come it will not be unusual to see bears on the Missouri River. Chris also shared comparisons between mortalities for 2007 in the NCDE vs. Yellowstone ecosystems.
Grizzly Monitoring Funding Committee Jack Potter/Chris Servheen
The agencies committed to getting a better-cost estimate as to how much money will be needed to keep programs going. Need to keep all going. Funding uncertainty, have been having difficulty putting all funding sources together. Wanted unified idea of what we are facing. Can’t assume that people out in the field will always be available without the techs, without the funding. Goal was to come up with solid estimate and identify ongoing needs of science within the NCDE. Need firm handle on the parcels that are needed in the NCDE.
Chris represents the type of needs that we have to estimate trend costs in the NCDE.
- Personnel funding
- Unfunded personnel for the blackfeet reservation and their work
- Park service folks
- Flathead Indian res isn’t funded for trend monitoring
- Forest service
Total personnel costs that is unfunded at this point is approx.; $220K annually, only $94K is funded currently.
Entire operation has been a “hand-to-mouth” operation and there has never really been anything that we can count on. There’s a lot of crisis going on in the resource management agencies right now, it’s a real bad time financially right now in Washington, D.C.
Bottom line is that we need $586K annually to run the program, we only have $94K funded and there is a deficit of $492K to get the job done right and cover all the costs realistically. This is the number that will be asked for in congress.
What is the amount of money being spent right now…around $300K that is being diverted for other areas, along with a lot of in-kind support.
Swan Valley Land Conservation Update TPL –Robert Rasmussen
TPL is under the radar (stands for the Trust for Public Land) is a national non-profit organization. Get support from regional office in Washington, D.C even though we have office in Montana. Focus areas in western Montana, but we do work in other parts of the state as well. Services are three-fold
- Conservation visioning – major conservation planning effort in the Swan area, *Conservation Finance – developing conservation tolls to fund conservation, and *conservation transactions – implementing the conservation vision through real estate transactions with willing sellers, and work with agencies that have priorities that overlap with willing sellers.
- Typical partnerships – that’s pretty much what we do, *landowners, local governments, resource agencies, land management agencies, land trusts, etc.
Examples of TPL work in MT
*Swan Valley work started there in 97-98 in terms of getting involved with the community. There is a real checkerboard ownership of lands within the Swan Valley. All partnerships have played critical roles at different times as far as implementing conservation strategies within the Swan. Potential for subdivision and increase in human-wildlife interface, etc…has created a great need in this area. Swan Valley area wants to maintain a timber-based economy, even though PC intends to sell many acres in the Swan.
A consultant was hired to objectively pull together all scientific data available. What areas are the highest priorities for conservation…tried to incorporate all information regarding resources. The entire Swan Valley is important regarding GB habitat. The GB data has been critical in formulating data. Swan Valley does have identified GB linkage zones. Additional data has revealed that there are resident bears in this valley that do not move across and out of this valley. Outdoor recreation, forest productivity, conservation strategies include fee acquisitions, timber management, etc.
Project benefits – protects critical habitat, preserves important scenic values, preserves important bull trout habitat, provides permanent public access.
Thompson & Fisher River projects consist of 142K acres in two watersheds. Restricts development on the properties, conservation easement held by FWP. Project Benefits: Allows continued, sustainable timber management, preserves local timber-related jobs.
Other projects:
Rye Creek in Bitterroot, Tailor Fork down in the GYE area, Selway Creek, Duck creek, Bozeman Pass, Oliffe Ranch, Rock Climbing project, Gallatin County Open Space Bond (local conservation finance tool)
In the Swan Valley one of the key partnerships is working with land trusts.
Wilderness Updates/Food Storage Deb Mucklow
Thanks for the extra cooperation in the wilderness…. we really appreciate it. There is an increased interest in the loan program. Backcountry horseman has done quite a push with all the chapters and is also seeing an increase in bear resistance containers. Last year competed changing out doors on administrative cabins to be more defensible against bears. Continue to coordinate with us regarding your enterirance into the backcountry. Contact appropriate FS ranger is you need administrative access behind “red Lock” gates…Plan ahead, don’t wait for the last minute.
Spotted Bear still has 20 inches on the airstrip.
Jim Claar = for Mack Long……….Speaks about YETTI coolers, that he is working with to move through the testing process to make these coolers bear resistant manner. There’s another one on the market that is an aluminum box that you can slide the cooler into, but he doesn’t think that will pass.
Bear Field Season Plans/Updates Tim, Dan, Mike, Jamie, Stacy
Brief over for the plans for this year from Tim Manley…going to be continuing mgmt plans that have been in place since 1993. The counties have been pretty good to work with flathead & Lincoln. Interms of mgmt actions last year, had approx 25 captures on 17 gb.
Adult male grizzly caught in Stryker at the Point of the Rocks restaurant just yesterday. Problem right now is getting up to release sites due to the snow levels.
Finally the augmentation program for the Cabinet mtns, we did get funding this year from the FWP foundation.
Dan has been moving carcasses of dead cows / horses. No serious conflicts yet. Plans for this year will be monitoring the 8 or 9 grizzlies that he has collared right now. No intention of doing more trend monitoring trapping. Will address conflicts as they come up and focus on education efforts regarding bird feeders, garbage etc.
Mike plans to continue with carcass redistribution sites. Going to also cost share with Defenders of Wildlife to put up electric fence around Dupuyer School as more grizzlies are observed along the circumference of the schoolyard. Also other ranchers are interested in installing fences. Domestic bee yards are currently fenced. Short on FTE funding this year. Seeing more and more movement of males where just a few years ago, this was much more rare. Had a food shortage last year on the east side, different berries were gone.
Jamie says all is quite on the southern front…none of the instrumented bears are showing up yet. Black bears are starting to pop out and have a handful in the Rattlesnake Valley that are doing the same old thing. Someone else is picking up the carcasses this year and the carcasses are going to a compost site. Last year we captured two monitoring females and she is now showing some interesting things to us. We caught another female, but sadly, she dropped her collar. Partner is out of commission for at least 3 months due to back surgery. Starting to do work in the Bitterroot valley and the Deer Lodge, Phillipsburg areas.
Aggressive education program going with humans and bears. There is a lot of electric fencing in the Blackfoot.. Electric fences are really pushed in R2.
Stacy reported that a “trend” bear dropped her collar last fall. The tribe got a FWS grant. They’ve had one garbage conflict with female & cubs. Have also had a couple of large males in the valley, but not currently having any conflicts. The Amish area voluntarily fenced their sweet corn.
IGBC Anniversary Plans/Awards Jim Claar
Seeley Lake area on June 19 & 20th is the IGBC meeting. 25th Anniversary celebration is on the 21st at the Clearwater area @ Jack Rick ranch…there has been an awards nomination request that has went out. Please send them to Ellen Davis directly.
PUBLIC QUESTIONS/COMMENTS
Minette shares with the group that she will be focusing her efforts on motherhood vs. full-time work. She will be missed by all.
Mark Wilson will be taking over as Chair of the NCDE Sub-committee at the next meeting. He will name his person for the vice chair position in the near future.
Next meeting will be in Helena on 11/05/08. Time and location to be announced.
Meeting adjourned at 12:45 p.m.
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