In August, a lone hiker in Yellowstone National Park became the fourth person killed by a grizzly bear in the Yellowstone Ecosystem in the past 12 months. Another lone hiker was killed by an adult male grizzly in June 2010, and a man sleeping alone was pulled from his tent and killed by a sow and three yearlings in July 2010. In July of this year, a man hiking with his wife was fatally injured when they encountered a sow with cubs at close range on a popular trail in Yellowstone National Park.

Dr. Chuck Schwartz, recently retired head of the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team, which is tasked with research and monitoring of bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, does not believe these four incidents are related or reflect a change in bear behavior toward humans. "Grizzly bears are large, powerful and potentially dangerous animals," said Schwartz. "Fortunately, most interactions between bears and humans have benign outcomes, in many cases because the bears detect and avoid people before the people ever know a bear is present. But, occasionally, circumstances lead to confrontations that can be fatal for either the bear or the person, or both."

Grizzly bear numbers and distribution are expanding in the Greater Yellowstone and Northern Continental Divide ecosystems. At the same time, the number of people living, working and recreating in grizzly habitat is increasing, elevating the frequency of bear/human interactions, reports the Wildlife Management Institute (WMI). Bear management specialists in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho all have reported more incidents and conflicts with grizzlies. Many of these incidents are the result of actions by people that attract bears into developed areas such as by leaving out garbage, bird seed, pet or livestock food in a way that draws and rewards bears. Other cases reflect inappropriate behavior by people in bear country, such as incautiously approaching bears, based on misguided television programs that suggest it is safe to get close to bears.

The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC), composed of all the state and federal agencies with responsibility for management of grizzly bears and their habitats across the Northwest, wants to reduce the number of conflicts between grizzly bears and people by providing more and better information about grizzly bear biology, distribution and how to behave safely where bears are?or could be. The IGBC recently signed a cooperative agreement with WMI to assess current outreach efforts, examine the highest priority communication needs and set direction for future programs. The plan will also explore how agencies can best use the Internet and social media to reach young generations.

With increasing challenges and declining budgets, state and federal agencies need to focus their limited resources strategically and be certain that programs are well-designed and implemented in order to have an impact. The planning process will take place over the next nine months. For further information, contact Chris Smith, WMI Western Field Representative?or Ellen Davis, Executive Assistant to the Chair, IGBC.(cs)