44hunter45
Well-known member
Speak Up for Bears of the Bitterroot! – Idaho Conservation League

Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
Worth reading the article. I haven't gone to the comments page. It seems they are asking commenters to vote for one of four options ranging from "Transplant bears now!" to " Let them come naturally"I certainly don’t mind bears in the Bitterroots, and get excited about reports of them being there.
But, I’m always a little torn on reintroduction efforts for any species. Especially when they’re already showing up unassisted.
Do you think bears would be more accepted/tolerated if they were allowed to populate the area naturally as opposed to the narrative that the government put them there as part of some conspiracy?
Would love to hear from folks on here in the “against” column if they’d be more tolerant of bears that showed up naturally.
I’m on board with what they wrote as their preferred options and had started my own comment in option 3 the other day (facilitate connectivity).Worth reading the article. I haven't gone to the comments page. It seems they are asking commenters to vote for one of four options ranging from "Transplant bears now!" to " Let them come naturally"
100% would be less annoyed about wolves in CO had we not spent millions bringing an animal here that was already establishing a foothold on its own. Stop jamming shit down our throat.I’m on board with what they wrote as their preferred options and had started my own comment in option 3 the other day (facilitate connectivity).
I am still curious to hear from folks against g-bears being there if they’d be more tolerant if they showed up naturally. Always been curious if people might’ve been more accepting of wolves if a version of option 3 presented here had been followed.
To answer your last question...yes, of course.I certainly don’t mind bears in the Bitterroots, and get excited about reports of them being there.
But, I’m always a little torn on reintroduction efforts for any species. Especially when they’re already showing up unassisted.
Do you think bears would be more accepted/tolerated if they were allowed to populate the area naturally as opposed to the narrative that the government put them there as part of some conspiracy?
Would love to hear from folks on here in the “against” column if they’d be more tolerant of bears that showed up naturally.
To answer your last question...yes, of course.
This is always my thought. I thought the whole point of reintroduction was to speed up recovery so states could take over management. Which I'd think people would generally want to support.Furthermore:
Would you be more tolerant of a reintroduced bear population if the state had co-management & if this meant more liberalized take policies due to conflict?
Would you be more tolerant of a naturally repopulating population of grizzly bears if that meant they had greater protections and humans had fewer options in term of management.
This is always my thought. I thought the whole point of reintroduction was to speed up recovery so states could take over management. Which I'd think people would generally want to support.
But for grizzlies in the Bitterroots, I'm not convinced the habitat is there anymore. I worry that reintroduced bears will just show up in neighborhoods and eat garbage. People here refuse to change their behavior to prevent black bear conflict especially for garbage....maybe the grizzly fear factor will do the trick, or a human death or two. Who knows.
The habitat is definitely there. Don't think of it as only the Bitterroot valley. This is talking about the entire Bitterroot mountain range extending into the largest wilderness and roadless areas in Idaho.This is always my thought. I thought the whole point of reintroduction was to speed up recovery so states could take over management. Which I'd think people would generally want to support.
But for grizzlies in the Bitterroots, I'm not convinced the habitat is there anymore. I worry that reintroduced bears will just show up in neighborhoods and eat garbage. People here refuse to change their behavior to prevent black bear conflict especially for garbage....maybe the grizzly fear factor will do the trick, or a human death or two. Who knows.
I understand this. And I am in favor of allowing the bears to recolonize naturally. mtmuleyThe habitat is definitely there. Don't think of it as only the Bitterroot valley. This is talking about the entire Bitterroot mountain range extending into the largest wilderness and roadless areas in Idaho.
I wasn't talking about the habitat in the valley. I don't think there is enough food for them in those mountains anymore. No more salmon runs into Idaho streams, blister rust killed all the whitebark pines, huckleberry crop sucks often enough to send black bears into town every year...what are grizzlies gonna eat? I think all the black bear issues in the valley are a precursor to grizzly issues. Those griz that have been showing up in the Florence and Lolo areas in recent years end up hanging out near neighborhoods, apple trees, or the riverbottom. They aren't going in to the Bitterroot Mountains. Why?The habitat is definitely there. Don't think of it as only the Bitterroot valley. This is talking about the entire Bitterroot mountain range extending into the largest wilderness and roadless areas in Idaho.
I see what you mean. My guess is that like all other animals, the bears are finding the easiest, most abundant, and highest calorie meals that they can and focusing on that. There is a dense population of black bears in the Idaho side all along the Bitterroot mountains and no towns to speak of so they are living off of natural foods. Grizzly bears in other areas in the Rockies don't have access to salmon either so I don't think that would be an impediment. Ultimately, I am just speculating but with as many black bears as there are it seems like there would be enough food base for grizzlies as well. I would just like to let them get there naturally and not add any land use restrictions or new regulations in the area. At most maybe take those bears getting into trouble in Florence and Lolo and relocate them to the west.I wasn't talking about the habitat in the valley. I don't think there is enough food for them in those mountains anymore. No more salmon runs into Idaho streams, blister rust killed all the whitebark pines, huckleberry crop sucks often enough to send black bears into town every year...what are grizzlies gonna eat? I think all the black bear issues in the valley are a precursor to grizzly issues. Those griz that have been showing up in the Florence and Lolo areas in recent years end up hanging out near neighborhoods, apple trees, or the riverbottom. They aren't going in to the Bitterroot Mountains. Why?