Grizzly bears!
06-11-2005, 08:25 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: NW Wyoming
Posts: 312
Grizzly bears!
Well maybe in our lifetime!
Yellowstone grizzlies may be delisted
By BECKY BOHRER
Associated Press
Federal wildlife officials plan to propose as early as next month that grizzly bears around Yellowstone National Park be removed from protection under the Endangered Species Act.
Chris Servheen, grizzly bear recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said officials believe there are adequate protections in place for both the bears and their habitat.
"We're on the verge of doing what we set out to do," he said. "If I wasn't comfortable, I wouldn't be doing this."
But some conservationists say oil and gas development and housing in more rural areas are among the threats to the bears' habitat. They argue that Fish and Wildlife is moving too fast to ensure the grizzlies' long-term future in the region.
"We shouldn't be taking chances with this icon species," said Janet Barwick, Wild Bears Project associate with the Natural Resources Defense Council.
More than 600 grizzlies are estimated to live in the Yellowstone ecosystem, a vast swath of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho that also contains six national forests. Servheen said the population has been growing at a rate of 4 percent to 6 percent a year and that, eventually, it's going to stabilize. He said there are places where bear numbers could rise and others, particularly near communities, where growth needs to slow.
He said the absolute floor level for the population, though, would be 500.
Servheen doesn't see much changing for Yellowstone-area bears once they're removed from the list of animals protected by the federal law. The grizzlies, which he says are the most studied bear population in the world, will continue to be watched closely, as will their habitat and food sources. Plans call for officials to spend about $1 million more a year for such activities as management and monitoring after they are delisted, he said.
Grizzlies have been listed as a threatened species in the region for 30 years, and their removal from federal protection could not come soon enough for some, particularly in Wyoming. That state is home to many of the bears.
Wyoming wildlife officials are working on occupancy guidelines, identifying areas that would be considered biologically suitable and socially acceptable for the bears. The state Game and Fish Commission is expected to consider the plan in mid-July, said John Emmerich, of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
Bucky Hall, a county commissioner in Park County, Wyo., near Yellowstone, said there are concerns about growing conflicts between grizzlies and people. Bears, he said, are "just pouring out of the park, literally."
"You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone on the ground who doesn't think there are enough bears," he said.
Douglas L. Thompson, a county commissioner in Wyoming's Fremont County, which he said passed a resolution declaring grizzlies socially and economically unacceptable and therefore unwanted, said delisting is a "noble goal." But, he said, details of any such proposal will be important. If there isn't greater management control at a more localized level, "we won't have gained anything," he said.
Heidi Godwin, associate regional representative for the Sierra Club, said there are still plenty of questions surrounding bears, including the availability of money for management and monitoring after delisting.
"How are they going to do this?" Godwin said. "That's one of the most concerning aspects for us."
Barwick said her group would fight a delisting proposal now.
Servheen said he expects a 90-day comment period to follow release of the agency's proposal. A final decision wouldn't be expected until sometime next year, he said.
Yellowstone grizzlies may be delisted
By BECKY BOHRER
Associated Press
Federal wildlife officials plan to propose as early as next month that grizzly bears around Yellowstone National Park be removed from protection under the Endangered Species Act.
Chris Servheen, grizzly bear recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said officials believe there are adequate protections in place for both the bears and their habitat.
"We're on the verge of doing what we set out to do," he said. "If I wasn't comfortable, I wouldn't be doing this."
But some conservationists say oil and gas development and housing in more rural areas are among the threats to the bears' habitat. They argue that Fish and Wildlife is moving too fast to ensure the grizzlies' long-term future in the region.
"We shouldn't be taking chances with this icon species," said Janet Barwick, Wild Bears Project associate with the Natural Resources Defense Council.
More than 600 grizzlies are estimated to live in the Yellowstone ecosystem, a vast swath of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho that also contains six national forests. Servheen said the population has been growing at a rate of 4 percent to 6 percent a year and that, eventually, it's going to stabilize. He said there are places where bear numbers could rise and others, particularly near communities, where growth needs to slow.
He said the absolute floor level for the population, though, would be 500.
Servheen doesn't see much changing for Yellowstone-area bears once they're removed from the list of animals protected by the federal law. The grizzlies, which he says are the most studied bear population in the world, will continue to be watched closely, as will their habitat and food sources. Plans call for officials to spend about $1 million more a year for such activities as management and monitoring after they are delisted, he said.
Grizzlies have been listed as a threatened species in the region for 30 years, and their removal from federal protection could not come soon enough for some, particularly in Wyoming. That state is home to many of the bears.
Wyoming wildlife officials are working on occupancy guidelines, identifying areas that would be considered biologically suitable and socially acceptable for the bears. The state Game and Fish Commission is expected to consider the plan in mid-July, said John Emmerich, of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
Bucky Hall, a county commissioner in Park County, Wyo., near Yellowstone, said there are concerns about growing conflicts between grizzlies and people. Bears, he said, are "just pouring out of the park, literally."
"You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone on the ground who doesn't think there are enough bears," he said.
Douglas L. Thompson, a county commissioner in Wyoming's Fremont County, which he said passed a resolution declaring grizzlies socially and economically unacceptable and therefore unwanted, said delisting is a "noble goal." But, he said, details of any such proposal will be important. If there isn't greater management control at a more localized level, "we won't have gained anything," he said.
Heidi Godwin, associate regional representative for the Sierra Club, said there are still plenty of questions surrounding bears, including the availability of money for management and monitoring after delisting.
"How are they going to do this?" Godwin said. "That's one of the most concerning aspects for us."
Barwick said her group would fight a delisting proposal now.
Servheen said he expects a 90-day comment period to follow release of the agency's proposal. A final decision wouldn't be expected until sometime next year, he said.
06-13-2005, 12:30 AM
#3
Typical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location:
Posts: 833
RE: Grizzly bears!
I live in helena Montana. I allso hunt right on the out side of city limets.There is 2 difrant griz there.When I talked to the fish and game about them,They stated NO way are they grizz.I call and kill bears every year. But when it gets to close to town I just cant tell what kind of bears they are.I sure bet if I shot that 600 lb bear they would take my hunting licens for years.
06-13-2005, 09:22 AM
#4
Fork Horn
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: usa
Posts: 464
RE: Grizzly bears!
besides the fact that there are too damn many of them, i just want to shoot one because i have always wanted to hunt a big bear. been looking at BC and alaska, but just havent decided if i can afford it yet. would be nice if we could get a shot at one here.
06-13-2005, 10:58 AM
#5
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Missouri
Posts: 1,429
RE: Grizzly bears!
I would love to have the oppurtunity to hunt a griz in the lower 48. I have a feeling though that even if they are delisted that the tags will be reserved for residents. I don't have a problem with that, they are the ones who pay the taxes there.
06-21-2005, 09:18 AM
#7
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location:
Posts: 75
RE: Grizzly bears!
ORIGINAL: ShatoDavis
I would love to have the oppurtunity to hunt a griz in the lower 48. I have a feeling though that even if they are delisted that the tags will be reserved for residents. I don't have a problem with that, they are the ones who pay the taxes there.
I would love to have the oppurtunity to hunt a griz in the lower 48. I have a feeling though that even if they are delisted that the tags will be reserved for residents. I don't have a problem with that, they are the ones who pay the taxes there.
glad to hear someone admit that! Anyway, I had grizzlies move into my favorite black bear area this spring season. griz in black bears out! Didn't expect it, but I was wondering why on earth I hadn't seen anything all day in this area that used to be thick with bear and on the way back out there was tracks on top of mine that answered the questions and made the hair stand on my neck at the same time. It is nice to have them doing well though. Maybe someday in the future we'll get a chance.
07-08-2005, 10:50 PM
#9
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: MN USA
Posts: 1,392
RE: Grizzly bears!
I know that parts of this story have been exagerated considerably "The Giant Grizzly Bear"; however, the pictures of the bear are real and the bear still a monster. Check it out before you head out to look for such a bad boy!
Excerpt from the urbanlegend site that tells what has been verified.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Not quite a world record
"In real life, the big grizzly in the first two photographs measured 10' 6" from nose to tail and weighed an estimated 1,000 to 1,200 pounds — unusually large for the vicinity in which it was found, says the USDA Forest Service, but not quite a world record, nor even a record for Alaska. It was killed on October 14, 2001 by U.S. Air Force Airman Theodore Winnen on Hinchinbrook Island, Prince William Sound. The photos were taken by his hunting partner, Staff Sgt. James Urban. Both were stationed at Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks at the time.
Though the bear was within 10 yards of the hunters' position and moving towards them when he fired the first shot, Winnen says, it did not charge them, contrary to what the email claims. "I don't know if the wind was in our favor or what," he told the Anchorage Daily News. "We were dressed in camouflage. He might not have seen us." Winnen's weapon was a 338-caliber Winchester Magnum, not a 7mm semi-automatic as alleged. The first bullet pierced the bear's brain but left it standing; five more in the chest brought it down. "
http://urbanlegends.miningco.com/library/bl-grizzlybear2.htm
Excerpt from the urbanlegend site that tells what has been verified.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Not quite a world record
"In real life, the big grizzly in the first two photographs measured 10' 6" from nose to tail and weighed an estimated 1,000 to 1,200 pounds — unusually large for the vicinity in which it was found, says the USDA Forest Service, but not quite a world record, nor even a record for Alaska. It was killed on October 14, 2001 by U.S. Air Force Airman Theodore Winnen on Hinchinbrook Island, Prince William Sound. The photos were taken by his hunting partner, Staff Sgt. James Urban. Both were stationed at Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks at the time.
Though the bear was within 10 yards of the hunters' position and moving towards them when he fired the first shot, Winnen says, it did not charge them, contrary to what the email claims. "I don't know if the wind was in our favor or what," he told the Anchorage Daily News. "We were dressed in camouflage. He might not have seen us." Winnen's weapon was a 338-caliber Winchester Magnum, not a 7mm semi-automatic as alleged. The first bullet pierced the bear's brain but left it standing; five more in the chest brought it down. "
http://urbanlegends.miningco.com/library/bl-grizzlybear2.htm
