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09-24-10 BEAR ADVICE FROM GLACIER NATIONAL PARK - GOOD FOR ANYWHERE!

BEAR CAUTIONS AND ADVICE FOR GLACIER NATIONAL PARK - There are both black bears and grizzlies in this Park.

Hiking in Bear Country! - Don’t Surprise Bears! Bears will usually move out of the way if they hear people approaching, so make noise. Most bells are not enough. Calling out and clapping hands loudly at regular intervals are better ways to make your presence known. Hiking quietly endangers you, the bear, and other hikers.  A bear constantly surprised by quiet hikers may become habituated to close human contact and less likely to avoid people. This sets up a dangerous situation for both visitors and bears.

Don’t Make Assumptions! You can’t predict when and where bears might be encountered along a trail. People often assume they don’t have to make noise while hiking on a well-used trail. Some of the most frequently used trails in the park are surrounded by excellent bear habitat. People have been charged and injured by bears fleeing from silent hikers who unwittingly surprised them along the trail. Even if other hikers haven’t seen bears along a trail section recently, don’t assume that bears aren’t there. Don’t assume a bear’s hearing is any better than your own. Some trail conditions make it hard for bears to see, hear, or smell approaching hikers. Be particularly careful by streams, against the wind, or in dense vegetation. A blind corner or a rise in the trail also requires special attention.

Don’t Approach Bears! Bears spend a lot of time eating, so avoid hiking in obvious feeding areas like berry patches, cow parsnip thickets, or fields of glacier lilies. Keep children close by. Hike in groups and avoid hiking early in the morning, late in the day, or after dark. Never intentionally get close to a bear. Individual bears have their own personal space requirements which vary depending on their mood. Each will react differently and its behavior can’t be predicted. All bears are dangerous and should be respected equally. Bears may appear tolerant of people and then attack without warning. A bear’s body language can help determine its mood. In general, bears show agitation by swaying their heads, huffing, and clacking their teeth. Lowered head and laid-back ears also indicate aggression. Bears may stand on their hind legs or approach to get a better view, but these actions are not necessarily signs of aggression. The bear may not have identified you as a person and is unable to smell or hear you from a distance.

BEAR ATTACKS - The vast majority of bear attacks have occurred because people have surprised a bear. In this type of situation the bear may attack as a defensive maneuver. In rare cases bears may attack at night or after stalking people. This kind of attack is rare. It can be very serious because it often means the bear is looking for food and preying on you. If you are attacked at night or if you feel you have been stalked and attacked as prey, try to escape. If you cannot escape, or if the bear follows, use pepper spray, or shout and try to intimidate the bear with a branch or rock. Do whatever it takes to let the bear know you are not easy prey. If you surprise a bear, here are a few guidelines to follow that may help:

• Talk quietly or not at all if you suddenly come upon a bear; the time to make loud noise is before you encounter a bear. Try to detour around the bear if possible.
• Never run or climb a tree to escape a bear! Back away slowly, but stop if it seems to agitate the bear.
• Assume a nonthreatening posture. If it is a brown bear, turn sideways, or bend at the knees to appear smaller.  If it is a black bear, group together to appear larger.
• Use peripheral vision. Bears may interpret direct eye contact as threatening.
• Drop something (not food) to distract the bear. Keep your pack on for protection in case of an attack.
• If a bear attacks and you have pepper spray, use it!
• If a grizzly bear makes contact, protect your chest and abdomen by falling to the ground on your stomach, or assuming a fetal position to reduce the severity of an attack. Cover the back of your neck and head with your hands. Do not move until you are certain the bear has left.  If a black bear makes contact, you must fight that bear with whatever you have, make lots of noise, throw rocks, look as large as you can - do not ball up unless there is nothing else you feel you can do.  You must fight off black bears, remaining passive could get you killed. Pepper spray is allowed in this national park - know how to use it properly.

07-30-10 BEAR ATTACKS LEAVE ONE DEAD, TWO MAULED

Campers at a remote campground at Soda Butte, outside Yellowstone National Park in Montana, were attacked in their sleep by bears. They do not know whether the bears were black bears or grizzlies, but they do think there were more than one. Traps have been set for the bears.

07-24-10 GRIZZLY WAS KILLED AFTER ATTACK

Two grizzly bear researchers with USGS have stated that they removed the warning signs on the trail leading to the grizzly capture site, as they left the area that day, as standard procedure. They had seen no one on the trail, the weather was bad, and they had no reason to believe that anyone would approach. However, a man did approach, someone who hiked up there with the desire to see researchers at work with a grizzly.  He got more than he bargained for, and discovered the large 450-pound grizzly bear still drugged from the research, groggy and in a bad mood, and was fatally attacked. A review of procedure is ongoing. See article below for more details.

 07-02-10 GRIZZLY RESEARCH WARNINGS HAVE BEEN ISSUED

FROM IDAHO FISH & GAME: "Grizzly Bear Trapping Begins in Centennial Mountains: Idaho Fish and Game is urging the public to heed bright orange signs warning of grizzly bear trapping operations in the in the Upper Snake Region.  Trapping efforts about to get under way will focus on the Idaho portion of the Centennial Mountains starting near Henrys Lake and running all the way to Interstate 15 near Spencer. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game biologists, who make up Idaho's contribution to the larger Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team efforts, will begin to work in the Centennial Mountain Range in Idaho after the Fourth of July holiday.  Trapping is part of the ongoing efforts required under the Endangered Species Act to monitor the distribution of grizzly bears in the Yellowstone Ecosystem. Operations can include a variety of activities, but all major access points to areas where work is being done will be marked with bright orange warning signs.

It is critical that all members of the public heed these signs and stay out of the area!

Monitoring grizzly bear distribution and other activities is vital to ongoing recovery of grizzlies in the Yellowstone Ecosystem. To attract bears, biologists use natural food sources, such as fresh road-killed deer and elk.  Potential trapping sites are baited, and if indications are that grizzly bears are in the area, snares or culvert traps will be used to capture the bears. Once trapped, the bears are sedated and studied in accordance with protocols developed by the Grizzly Bear Study Team.  For more information regarding grizzly bear trapping efforts or Idaho's role in grizzly bear management, call 208-525-7290."

 06-17-10 GRIZZLY KILLS MAN IN A GRIZZLY RESEARCH AREA

Erwin Frank Evert, a 70-year-old field botanist, was mauled and killed by a grizzly bear between 1:45 and 2:45 PM, 2 miles from his cabin and 7 miles from Yellowstone National Park, in the Kitty Creek Drainage area of the Shoshone National Forest, just east of Yellowstone National Park.  It was reported by a friend of his that he deliberately set out on a hike to find the grizzly trapping site, having shown curiosity about it a week before. His family disagrees with that, and also disagrees that there was any warning signs on the trail stating that the Sheriff's deputy that found his body saw no signs. It is possible that the signs were taken down from the trail after this bear was released and that Mr. Evert was unaware that trapping was being done that day. He did not have a gun or bear spray with him. It was confirmed that the bear involved was baited with an animal carcass, snared, tranquilized hours before, tested and collared, as part of a Grizzly Bear research project.  Approximately 70 bear work ups such as this are done each year throughout the mountainous area; similar research has been conducted for 36 years. The grizzly was a 10-year-old 430-pound male bear, believed to be a part time resident of the area and little was known about this particular bear. The bear was later tracked by the signal on his radio collar, shot and killed from a helicopter by wildlife officials. Testing has revealed that this was the bear that killed Mr. Evert. The decision to pursue and kill the bear was made by Chris Servheen, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the grizzly bear recovery coordinator. It was initially reported that Evert ignored posted warnings to avoid the area due to the likelihood of a bear encounter.  However, the sheriff deputy that recovered the body and Evert's family stated that the warning signs were no longer present. Mr. Evert was a prominent botanist from Illinois, author of the recently published 750-page book, "Vascular Flora of the Greater Yellowstone Area." He was a research associate from the Illinois Arboretum.

Park County Sheriff Department Press Release: At approximately 6:48 PM on June 17th the Park County Sheriff’s Office was notified that a subject had possibly been mauled and killed by a grizzly bear in the Kitty Creek Drainage located in the Shoshone National Forest west of Cody. The victim, 70 year old Erwin Frank Evert of Cody was reported missing by his wife to Chad Dickinson, a member of the USGS Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team (IGBST) based out of Bozeman. Dickinson and his team were working within the Kitty Creek Drainage snaring grizzly bears for research. Dickinson rode back up Kitty Creek [on horseback] to an area where earlier they had caught a large adult male grizzly. Once at the capture sight, Dickinson found Evert dead as a result of fatal injuries caused by an encounter with the bear. At approximately 8:30 PM Wardens of the Wyoming Game and Fish and a Park County Sheriff’s Deputy located Evert approximately 2 miles from the road in a remote rugged area. Park County Sheriff Search and Rescue was called in and Evert’s body was removed while Wardens provided armed security. The recovery was completed at approximately 12:18am on June 18th. At this time it appears that members of IGBST had captured the bear and tranquilized the bear for research purposes, put a radio collar on the bear and then packed up their equipment and left the area. At some point Evert wandered into the capture area where he was fatally wounded. Evert was not armed nor was he carrying bear spray. On June 18th The US Forest Service issued a closure order for the Kitty Creek Drainage. Game Wardens, US Fish and Wildlife Agents and USFS Law Enforcement Agents are diligently searching the area for the bear with the aid of an electronic tracking device. If located the fate of the bear will be determined by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. [The bear has now been found and killed.]

2009

10-25-09 GRIZZLY KILLED IN YELLOWSTONE INVESTIGATED

A hunter was packing out a deer near Grand Teton National Park, in the Bridger-Teton National Forest, when he saw a grizzly feeding on a moose carcass, and he shot the bear. An investigation is ongoing because it is illegal to kill a bear there unless it was in self-defense. The bear was the offspring of the famous Bear 399, who was accustomed to bringing her cubs to the roadside near Jackson Lake Lodge and showing them off to tourists. She and her offspring were always calm and non-aggressive. This bear, a 225-female, has never been picked up due to any nuisance complaints, nor has she ever been seen trying to get people's food. This bear has remained wild. This bear was part of the U.S. Geological Survey Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team in that she was radio-collared and sample had been taken.

 10-19-09 RARE GRIZZLY PREDATORY ATTACK

Believed to be a predatory attack, a grizzly charged a tent with sleeping people in it, in British Columbia. The men were on a bear hunting trip.  Bear pawprints seen later revealed proof that the two bears had been following the men for some time. The men were treated for bites and scratches, after hiking over 5 miles to their trucks from the camp. There were no food odors in the camp or on their clothes.

09-08-09 GRIZZLY BEAR CUB DEATH DUE TO DART

Glacier National Park News Release

REISSUE

Editor’s Note:  Glacier National Park officials wish to clarify that the death of the grizzly yearling on August 17th was indeed attributed to the

tranquilizer dart injection field operation to immobilize the two grizzly yearlings at Old Man Lake in the Upper Two Medicine Valley.  According to

the necropsy report, the precise cause of the internal bleeding is unknown. It is not known if the yearling’s jugular vein was severed when the bear

moved or perhaps when it fell, but the dart was directly involved in the bear’s unfortunate death.  A copy of the necropsy report is attached;

however, the following excerpt is reprinted verbatim from the necropsy report:

      “Although the initial wound created by the dart was close to the jugular vein, it did not appear to hit it directly.  Two

      possibilities exist that may have resulted in the laceration of the jugular vein.  First, because of its proximity to the right humerus,

      the dart would have been likely to move around as the bear walked. This motion may have been what allowed the sharp dart tip to lacerate

      the jugular vein.  Another possibility to consider is that the force of the drug being expelled from the dart under pressure tore the

      jugular vein.”

Darted Grizzly Bear Yearling Died From Internal Bleeding Yearling that died during recent tranquilizing operation had lacerated

jugular vein

WEST GLACIER, MONT. – A necropsy (animal autopsy) determined that the grizzly bear yearling that died after being darted by park rangers on

Monday August 17, 2009, died from internal bleeding.  The results show the bear did not die from the actual darting, but from a subsequent laceration

to the jugular vein.  The necropsy was not able to determine exactly how the vein was ruptured.  The necropsy was performed by Jennifer Ramsey,

Wildlife Veterinarian with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.

The yearling was darted as part of a bear management action to remove a 17-year-old female grizzly from the park after bear management rangers

determined her to be conditioned to humans.  After the female was removed on August 17, 2009, rangers darted and tranquilized her two yearlings.

One cub died shortly after being tranquilized.  Rangers attempted to resuscitate the yearling by performing mouth to nose CPR, but to no avail.

Glacier National Park Superintendent Chas Cartwright says “The unintended death of this yearling grizzly is a very unfortunate outcome of a very

difficult operation.”   Glacier National Park’s internationally-vetted Bear Management Plan and Guidelines specifies that conditioned bears that

display over familiarity must be removed from the wild population.  The US Fish and Wildlife Service oversees and coordinates the transfer of

captive grizzlies to federally-authorized zoos and captive facilities, none of which were willing   to take an adult bear.  Final details are still

being worked out to transfer the other yearling to the Bronx Zoo in New York.

Glacier National Park’s Bear Management Plan and Guidelines are dynamic management tools that receive periodic international peer review.   As a

protected species under the Endangered Species Act, the decision to remove the family of grizzlies was not taken lightly, but was the result of

Glacier’s ongoing coordination with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the agency charged with administering the Endangered Species Act.

9-05-09 GRIZZLY HIT BY CAR IN MONTANA

A grizzly was hit by a car near Billings and was shot by a wildlife official as it was suffering from the accident. The bear was more than 20 years old and weighed 417 pounds.

8-17-09 AS PLANNED, GRIZZLIES KILLED IN GLACIER

WEST GLACIER, MONT. – True to her nickname, the “Oldman Lake Bear,” the female grizzly bear that park personnel have been tracking in recent days and her two yearling cubs were observed Monday afternoon, August 17 about 300 yards away from, and heading towards, the backcountry campground at Oldman Lake.  After descending from Pitamakan Pass, two park rangers armed with rifles, simultaneously shot and humanely-killed the adult bear at approximately 4:3- p.m. Monday, Glacier National Park officials report. Rangers were about to close the backcountry campground when they spotted the bear family group.  Backpackers were in the Oldman Lake campground when rangers spotted the bear heading that way.

Park rangers were at Pitamakan Pass hiking south from Morning Star Lake toward Oldman Lake when the group of three observed the female and her two yearling cubs traveling the family group’s previously observed route into the backcountry campground at Oldman Lake.

After the female was killed, rangers arranged for helicopter support and to retrieve drugs to dart and tranquilize the two yearlings that remained in the vicinity.   The yearlings were darted over an hour later.  One cub died shortly after being tranquilized.  Rangers attempted to resuscitate the yearling by performing mouth to nose CPR, but to no avail.

“The unintended death of this yearling grizzly is a very unfortunate outcome of a very difficult operation.   The National Park Service will conduct a thorough review of the cause of death of the yearling, but we are also relieved to have captured the other yearling.” A necropsy (animal autopsy) will be performed after the carcass of the dead yearling is transported to the state laboratory in Bozeman.

“Unfortunately, this entire family group of grizzly bears had become overly familiar with humans.”   Park Superintendant Chas Cartwright explained that this is a condition in which a bear repeatedly and purposefully approaches humans in a non-defensive situation.  Cartwright added, “Park resource personnel worked to keep this bear and her offspring in the wild for five years, but given her most recent display of over-familiarity in combination with her history of habituation, we determined that the three grizzlies posed an unacceptable threat to human health and safety; and therefore, needed to be removed from the park.”  The bears had been closely monitored in recent weeks.  The decision to remove the bears came only after a thorough review of events and the bears’ overt “conditioned” behavior toward human contact.

Glacier National Park’s internationally-vetted Bear Management Plan and Guidelines specifies that conditioned bears that display over familiarity must be removed from the wild population.  No zoos or other federally-authorized captive facilities were willing to take an adult bear at this time.

Documented encounters this July indicated that the female was highly conditioned to humans as defined by Glacier National Park’s Bear Management Plan and Guidelines.  That, coupled with the female’s history of human interaction dating back to 2004, led park managers to determine that the bear posed an unacceptable risk to public safety, and needed to be removed in accordance with the park’s Bear Management Plan and Guidelines.

Glacier's bear management policy is to maintain natural population dynamics and, to the extent possible, promote natural behavior in the presence of humans.  So far in 2009, three separate incidents had been documented wherein the female grizzly exhibited behavior that could be classified as “repeatedly and purposefully approaches humans in a non- defensive situation.”   The female was again demonstrating this same behavior on Monday afternoon when she was shot and killed approaching Oldman Lake campground.  “Given the possibility that her offspring had learned this type of overly-familiar behavior and the diminished chance of their survival, we simply could not leave the yearlings in the wild.   We deeply regret the loss of the one cub, but are thankful that the other yearling will soon be transported to the Bronx Zoo,” Cartwright stated.

The female had frequented the Morning Star and Old Man Lake backcountry campgrounds, both in the Two Medicine/Cut Bank area repeatedly since 2004. During that time, the female grizzly produced two sets of offspring. Throughout this time, both the mother grizzly and her offspring approached hikers, forcing hikers off trails, came into cooking areas while people yelled and waved their arms at the bears, and sniffed at tents during the night.  Numerous efforts were attempted to haze the female and her offspring away from backcountry campsites.  Since 2004, a variety of aversive conditioning techniques were used to discourage the bear and her young from human interactions.  Aversive conditioning is the application of negative reinforcement aimed at behavior modification.   Rangers used noise, Karelian Bear Dogs, and other non-lethal stimuli to encourage the grizzly to keep away from humans and backcountry campgrounds.

“Every effort was made to deal with the bear’s conditioning to humans in a non-lethal manner; however, in accordance with Glacier National Park’s widely reviewed Bear Management Plan and Guidelines, the NPS could no longer allow this overly-conditioned bear to remain in the population and pose a potential risk the safety of the park’s visitors,” said Cartwright.

“Glacier National Park’s Bear Management Plan and Guidelines are dynamic management tools that receive periodic international peer review.   The plan and guidelines clearly state the conditions of how we manage Glacier’s bear populations, both black and grizzlies.  These tools also reflect the best available knowledge and management techniques that bear managers can employ,” said Cartwright.  “As a protected species under the Endangered Species Act, the decision to remove the family of grizzlies was not taken lightly, but was the result of Glacier’s ongoing coordination with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the agency charged with administering the Endangered Species Act.“
 

8-12-09 GRIZZLY FAMILY POSING SAFETY RISK IN GLACIER NATIONAL PARK

WEST GLACIER, MONT.  –  Glacier National Park officials announced today that a very difficult decision has been made by park managers to remove a 17-year-old female grizzly bear and her two yearlings from the park’s grizzly bear population.  This decision was made after the family group repeatedly entered human-occupied backcountry campgrounds this summer. Park rangers are currently working to locate the bears in the park’s backcountry in the vicinity of Cut Bank Valley.

Park Superintendent Chas Cartwright stated, “Unfortunately, this entire family group of grizzly bears has become overly familiar with humans.”  He explained that this is a condition in which a bear repeatedly and purposefully approaches humans in a non-defensive situation.  Cartwright added, “Park resource personnel have worked to keep this bear and her offspring in the wild for five years, but given her recent display of over-familiarity in combination with her long history of habituation, we have determined that the three grizzlies pose an unacceptable threat to human health and safety; and therefore, must be removed from the park.” The bears have been closely monitored in recent weeks.  The decision to remove the bears came only after a thorough review of events and the bears’ overt “conditioned” behavior toward human contact.

Glacier National Park’s internationally-vetted Bear Management Plan and Guidelines specifies that conditioned bears that display over familiarity must be removed.  There are no zoos currently willing to take adult bears. Every effort will be made to capture the yearlings and relocate them to the Bronx Zoo in New York; however, at this time the priority is to locate and remove the female.  Several documented encounters in July indicate that the female is highly conditioned to humans as defined by Glacier National Park’s Bear Management Plan and Guidelines.  That, coupled with the female’s history of human interaction dating back to 2004, led park managers to determine that the bear poses an unacceptable risk to public safety, and must be removed in accordance with the park’s Bear Management Plan and Guidelines.

Glacier's bear management policy is to maintain natural population dynamics and, to the extent possible, promote natural behavior in the presence of humans.  So far in 2009, two separate incidents have been documented where the female grizzly has exhibited behavior that could be classified as “repeatedly and purposefully approaches humans in a non- defensive situation.”

The female has frequented the Morning Star and Old Man Lake backcountry campgrounds, both in the Two Medicine/Cut Bank area repeatedly for the last five years.   During that time, the female grizzly has produced two sets of cubs.  Throughout this time, both the mother and her offspring have approached hikers, forcing them off trails, have come into cooking areas while people yelled and waved their arms at the bears, and sniffed at tents during the night.  Numerous efforts have been attempted to haze them and aversively condition the bear and her young to avoid human interactions, but those efforts have not proven successful.  Aversive conditioning is the application of negative reinforcement aimed at behavior modification. Rangers have used noise, Karelian Bear Dogs, and other non-lethal stimuli to encourage the grizzly to keep away from humans and backcountry campgrounds.

The grizzly bear is protected by the Endangered Species Act, and as such, every effort was made to deal with the bear’s conditioning to humans in a non-lethal manner.  With those efforts failing, rangers cannot, in accordance Glacier National Park’s Bear Management Plan and Guidelines, allow the bear to remain in the population and pose a potential risk the safety of the park’s visitors.

“Glacier National Park’s Bear Management Plan and Guidelines are dynamic management tools that receive periodic international peer review.  The plan and guidelines clearly state the conditions of how we manage Glacier’s bear populations, both black and grizzlies.  These tools also reflect the best available knowledge and management techniques that bear managers can employ,” said Cartwright.  “This decision [to remove the family of grizzlies] is the result of Glacier’s ongoing coordination with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the agency charged with administering the Endangered Species Act.“

- NATIONAL PARK SERVICE -
 

8-06-09 EXCEPTIONAL GRIZZLY KILLED, POACHERS ARRESTED

Photo: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

A large grizzly was shot and killed, and hidden from law enforcement agents, by two shooters near Moses Lake, Washington.  The hide has been confiscated by authorities.  The tragedy of this situation is that there are only about less than 20 grizzlies in the mountains in that area, and this particular bear had been collared and tracked for 14 years. She had healthy cubs and she herself was a healthy bear.  Wildlife biologists say that this bear had never caused any harm or gotten into any trouble.  Her carcass was buried on the shooter's farm.  She was shot while crossing a road, in the "Grizzly Recovery Zone."

6-24-09 TETON COUNTY HAS NEW RULES FOR RESIDENTS

Teton County in Wyoming has enacted new rules for people who live in bear territory near Jackson Hole.  All residents in those areas where bears are a problem will need to use bear-proof garbage cans and make birdseed harder for bears to get.  Bird feeders should either be taken down or put 10 feet off the ground and at least 4 feet from the feeder structure.  All bears including brown and black bears will go after easy meals whenever they can.  They may even bypass their natural foods to search for preferred people and pet foods in residential areas.  The new rules go into effect on July 1, and could help keep bear conflicts down to a minimum as bears learn they cannot get easy food there any longer.  The bear-proof container rule will be for every day, all year.  The bird feeder rule will be for April through October.  Failure to comply will teach bears bad manner, and also hit the wallet - for every day a bird feeder or garbage can is not in compliance, a fine of up to $750 could be given.  However, it is stressed that this exercise is for both bears and people to learn good behavior in bear and people territory.  For more information, visit the Jackson Hole News & Guide newspaper online by clicking here. The local sanitation department will be spending over $300,000 on 1500 new bear-proof garbage cans and commercial bins for residents and companies; the residents can also purchase their own cans to help alleviate that cost on the garbage company.  Additionally, the garbage pickup company will be taking the extra time when they pick up garbage - bear-proof cans must be opened by a person, whereas it once was done mechanically.  Teton Trash Removal will also be helping the bear situation. Great efforts are being made to train bears to eat their natural foods and not look for foods in residential areas that fringe bear territory.  This type of program has been successful in other places where bears became a problem, such as Banff, Alberta, and Vail, Colorado.  For maps of the affected areas, click here.  

6-12-09 BEARS ON TRAIN TRACKS AGAIN

Bear 71 had been a problem bear in that she was always on the train tracks near Canmore, and she brought her cubs there too.  Now one of her offspring, bear 106, a 3-year-old grizzly, has been on the tracks alone.  Wildlife officials have gone there and chased the bear off the tracks where it was lying down, just minutes before a train came roaring through.  They have stopped traffic on the nearby highway too, for this bear to cross the road.  But they can't live out there.  They have asked the railroad to slow the train when they get into that area and watch out for this bear so that it isn't killed.  Canmore is in Alberta, Canada.  This bear's mother, bear 71, was killed by a train a couple of years ago, when she was on the stretch of train tracks.

6-12-09 GRIZZLY SHOT ON ELK FARM

The owner of Bugle Mountain Elk Farm in Idaho shot what he thought was a black bear at night, when the bear returned to retrieve the full-grown male elk it had killed hours before.  Grizzlies are a protected animal in Idaho.  Wildlife officials said that grizzlies are never spotted near Rose Lake, it was a rare sight.  This was the first grizzly seen there in decades.

6-12-09 GRIZZLY MAULS MAN NEAR YELLOWSTONE

A 34-year-old man was hiking alone on a forest service road and came upon a grizzly in Gallatin National Forest in Idaho.  The bear attacked the man, leaving severe bite wounds on his leg, arm, shoulder, torso, and head.  He hiked 4 miles back to get help, after the bear attack.  It was later discovered that the bear had a cub with her and also a carcass of an elk calf nearby; the bear had buried the elk calf 10 feet away from the trail where the man was hiking.  By the way, the hiker was carrying both a pistol and bear spray, and had no time to use either. 

6-11-09 TWO MEN ATTACKED BY A GRIZZLY IN CANADA

The grown son and his 78-year-old father were walking and looking for shed antlers when the grizzly appeared out of nowhere and tossed one man; the older man fought off the bear with his walking stick.  After fending off the bear with the stick, the bear lost interest, and the men were able to make it to their truck and to a hospital.  The son was treated for a broken arm and the other man has since been released also. It happened in the woods north of Grand Cache in Alberta on June 6.

5-24-09 TV CELEBRITY BEAR MAN FINED

Photo from the program, "The Bear Man of Kamchatka"

Australians will be able to watch "The Bear Man of Kamchatka" airing on Sunday, June 7 at 7:30 PM.  This is the story of Charlie Russell, a Canadian who cares for brown bears on the Kamchatka Peninsula in eastern Russia.  He believes that large brown bears can be friendly toward people if they are cared for from cubs with affection and understanding.  The bears he befriends are orphaned cubs, and he spends 9 months of the year with them.  They wind up living wild and he says they are fully self-sufficient by the time they are grown.  Mr. Russell's mission is to prove that bears can be trusted and that if they are not dealt with violently, they will not be violent with us.  The 65-year-old is the son of Andy Russell, known for his book about grizzlies and for filming one of the first documentaries of grizzlies in the wild.  Charlie has written his own book, "Grizzly Heart: Living Without Fear Among the Brown Bears of Kamchatka."  This program aired a year ago in England.  Below is a video of still photographs of Charlie and his wild bears. Apparently he feels safe around these bears because he raised them - please don't approach wild bears!

5-28-09 MONTANA GRIZ DEATH INVESTIGATED

Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials are investigating a grizzly bear death.  The bear was found north of Columbia Falls on May 1, gutted and skinned.

5-17-09 LARGE GRIZZLY HIT BY TRAIN

A 500-pound grizzly was struck by a train and was killed in Banff National Park on Thursday.  Wildlife officials said that this bear was unusually large and fat for this time of year, and the loss of such a healthy bear is unfortunate.

3-15-09 BEARS ARE WAKING UP IN GRAND TETON NP

Big Grizzly Cubs Coming Out of Hibernation

Photo by Gary Pollock, National Park Service

Bears have emerged from their winter dens in the greater Jackson Hole area in Grand Teton National Park; consequently, local residents and park visitors need to be alert for their presence anywhere within Grand Teton National Park and the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway. Just this week, a grizzly bear was observed near the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center and the park’s headquarters building at Moose. Because this and other bears are again on the move and actively searching for springtime food sources, appropriate precautions for traveling in bear country must be taken.

3-12-09 BEARS ARE WAKING UP IN YELLOWSTONE NP

Bear tracks have been seen in the snow in Yellowstone National Park in recent days, for both grizzly and black bears.  To keep both people and bears safe, Yellowstone will close areas wherever there are animal carcasses of  animals that died during the winter, such as elk and bison.  Closing areas with higher concentration of carcasses will give bears stress-free room to roam in search of food, and will prevent many bear-human conflicts.  The following areas are now closed: Fountain Paint Pot Nature Trail (parking lot and boardwalk); Midway Geyser Basin (parking lot and boardwalk); Firehole Lake Drive.  Before you plan hiking or skiing, check in at the visitors centers or at the website at http://www.nps.gov/yell/ to make sure the area you plan to visit is open that day.

01-15-08 GRIZZLY BEAR STUDY RESULTS ARE IN

12-30-08  RECENT "BEAR DOCUMENTARY" IS A HOAX

A so-called "wildlife documentary" about grizzly bears that appeared recently on the Discovery Channel, a cable network, has proven to be quite controversial.  Entitled "Bear Feeding Frenzy" the program showed a man inside of a clear plastic cube, that he called a 'predator box.' Sitting in the box in a field, supposedly in the wilds of Alaska, the man shows what happens if you just happen to be sitting in grizzly country - complete with bears trying to get into the box to attack him, with them tearing up his tent as well as a dummy that is near by the tent.  The only problem is that these were not wild bears, and the man was not in the backcountry.  The program was filmed in a fenced-in enclosure in a private zoo, Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, http://awcc.org/home.html.  Their website invites photographers to come there to photograph animals that can be made to look wild.  For this program they trained the bears to attack the tent and dummy, so that the production would have the look of wild bears.  The only problem is that wild bears would not behave in this manner.  Officials from Alaska Department of Fish and Game happened to see the program and were shocked by its content.  It showed supposedly wild bears being fed so that they would come closer, which should never happen.  Failure to tell the public that these were captive bears and misleading the public as to what is natural bear behavior they say is unethical.  Discovery Channel hired Gurney Productions to put the show together.  The conservation center was not mentioned in the credits of the program as the place where the show was filmed.  Teaching captive grizzlies to break into cars, rip up tents, and drag dummies around is also not cool.  Although multiple articles have been written about this incident, the one from Anchorage Daily News is most interesting  http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/wildlife/bears/story/635535.html.  To see the staged bear attacks go to "How Stuff Works," while the video is posted, at  http://videos.howstuffworks.com/discovery/32178-bear-feeding-frenzy-a-grizzly-attack-video.htm. - Brown Bear News from www.CoveBear.com; sources: Anchorage Daily News, Atlanta Examiner, Fort Mill Times.

08-26-08 GRIZZLY ON NEW U.S. COIN

The latest quarter released by the U.S. Mint has the state of Alaska on the back, and features a brown bear with a fish in his mouth.  The new quarter is now in circulation and will be coming to a bank near you soon.

07-28-08 BROWN BEARS OF KAMCHATKA 

The Kamchatka Peninsula of Russia is famous for very large, very wild brown bears.  Recently, two people have been killed by a few of these brown bears who seem to be following the miners who come for the platinum at the mine there.  Several of the workers now refuse to go there.  It is possible that this small number of bears may have to be killed, the ones that are the most aggressive, but that decision has not yet been made. The two men who were found dead there at the geological station were unarmed, and they had been partially eaten.  Another geological station 90 miles away from that site had a visit a few days later, a visit by a group of 20 bears.  After that, dozens of brown bears were seen entering nearby villages and other work sites.  A reduction in wild salmon in the area due to natural causes, contamination, and overfishing, is a possible reason for this behavior.  That and the fact that people are working in what was once bear territory, and leaving their garbage out.  There are about 12,000 huge brown bears in that place.

07-14-08 BACK TO THE WILD!

Two grizzly cubs that were rescued and raised by Northern Lights Wildlife Center near Smithers in British Columbia, have been released to the wild.  Their behavior upon release was gratifying.  Rather than looking back at the people who cared for them for a year, they immediately began exploring the forest and foraging for food.  They are wearing collars so that their travels can be monitored for the first year.  After that, the collars will drop off.

06-30-08 BICYCLIST ATTACKED BY GRIZ

A teenaged bicyclist in an all-night race riding near a salmon stream was attacked by a grizzly.  The helmet she wore saved her life, but she was severely injured.  The bicycle race was in Far North Bicentennial Park near Anchorage, Alaska.

05-22-08 GRIZZLIES MIGRATING TO ISLAND

The third confirmed grizzly bear sighting since 2003 has just occurred, on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.  Until recent years, no grizzlies have lived on the island.  Wildlife officials know that if grizzlies continue to migrate there and they like it there, they will stay there.  That could cause some problems for the island's human population of around 800,000.  Other animals that do not live there  but that do live on the nearby mainland are porcupine, moose, mountain goat, and coyote.  No one has ever seen a grizzly bear there until 2003.  Vancouver Island already has a major predator there, the cougar.  Roosevelt elk live there, and despite the absence of many smaller animals, elk calves may prove to be easy prey for grizzlies in coming years. The island is about 285 miles long, and in some areas, as wide as 50 miles.  There is not a lot of room there for grizzlies to claim.

05-03-08 MAN MAULED BY GRIZZLY

A surveyor was attacked by a grizzly bear north of Vancouver.  The large bear came up behind him and grabbed him by the arm and then his head and started chewing.  For no apparent reason, the bear suddenly stopped and pushed the man, who was in a quiet fetal position, into the mud, and left.  The man made it to his truck and drove to get help.  A local gas station attendant called for help.  A wildlife official found and killed the bear.  The man is doing fine.

04-30-08 GRIZZLY NOT KILLED AFTER ATTACK

Rocky, the tame grizzly that attacked and killed his handler in April of this year (see below), has not been euthanized, as is the usual procedure whenever an animal kills someone.  People are starting to question this now.  Despite the fact that nothing like this had ever happened before with this particular bear, it has happened now, and many say the bear will kill someone else. 

04-30-08 NO HUNTING IN ALBERTA

Grizzly hunting has been suspended again this year in Alberta, Canada, due to probable  inaccuracies in bear population numbers.  It turns out there are fewer resident grizzlies than was believed, and so there will not be a hunt until the new estimates are concluded.  Approximately fourteen grizzlies were allowed to be killed each year until the hunt was halted.  It appears now that the previous estimate of 1,000 bears in the area was high.  2008 was to be the last year of the 5-year ban on hunting, but that may now be extended into 2009 or until the population estimates are confirmed.  The more accurate number of bears may be as low as less than 500, which would signify an elevation status for grizzlies there, from the current "may be at risk" to "threatened" or "endangered."  Official recommendations in Alberta's new grizzly recovery plan would call for building up the grizzly population there by limiting motorized access on oil patch and logging roads, and to focus more on retaining good quality of habitat.

04-23-08 TAME GRIZZLY KILLS TRAINER

California's "Randy Miller's Predators In Action" facility for training animals for movies had a tragedy this week: one of the trainers was attacked and killed by a tame 5-year-old grizzly named Rocky.  This bear appeared in the movie "Semi-Pro" starring Will Ferrell as a guy who wrestles a grizzly.  This bear stood 7 1/2 feet tall and weighed 700 pounds.  Other movies that Randy's animals have been featured in include "Gladiator" (tigers), "The Postman," "The Island of Dr. Moreau," and "the Last Samurai."  Animals trained there for the movies and television include wolves, bears, tigers, leopards, lions, and cougars.  Some of their trained animals have appeared in documentaries produced by National Geographic and Discovery Channel.  Captive predators are usually killed once they attack their trainers.  This training facility has been in operation over 25 years and has never had an attack by any animal.  39-year-old Stephan Miller was bitten on the neck and died instantly.

04-22-08 GRIZZLIES VISIT TOURIST SPOT

Adult grizzlies have been seen this month frequenting the a popular tourist spot of Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park, some even walking right in front of the visitors center there.  They are there because a hard winter has led some weakened bison to the area, where warmer environs allow them to feed easier.  Some of the buffalo do not live once they arrive, and the bears are feeding on their carcasses.  Officials advise people visiting Old Faithful and other areas of the park to keep an eye out for bears, and give them a lot of room.  They will finish eating and be on their way.  Some trails around thermal areas of the park are temporarily closed due to these bears at this time.

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12-10-07 GRIZZLY ON U.S. QUARTER

The U.S. Mint has announced that the remaining quarters in the popular state-by-state coin program have now been designed.  They will be for Alaska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arizona, and Hawaii.  The design for the reverse side of the Alaska quarter will be a grizzly bear with a salmon in his mouth.  More than 140 million Americans are collecting the states' quarters.  The program began in 1999.

11-06-07 YELLOWSTONE GRIZZLIES MAY BE BACK ON LIST

The grizzlies in the Yellowstone area may be put back on the endangered list, after Federal officials have discovered that in the seven months since they have been off the list, since adult female grizzly deaths have now reached the threshold of 9% for the second year in a row, in the grizzly ecosytem in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming.  These bears died from management control, hunting accidents, and natural causes.  This mortality rate for females of reproductive age is too high, and could not sustain the population of 571 grizzlies in the Yellowstone Park area if this mortality rate is allowed to increase.  If this continues, a review will have to be performed, and decisions made about this bear being on or off the endangered species list.

11-06-07 EMPLOYEE MAULED BY GRIZZLY IN PARK

An employee at the Great Bear Adventure drive-through park in Montana.  His condition is unknown.  This is the second bear attack in this park since 2004.

10-18-07 GRIZZLY ATTACK IN MONTANA

A bird hunter was attacked by a grizzly 15 miles southwest of Valier, on private land near Dupuyer Creek.  The man surprised the bear and the bear knocked him down, briefly mauled him, and ran away.  Injuries are not life-threatening, bear was not found, wildlife officials warn people to be careful near rivers and creek bottomlands in the Rockies.  This is one of two grizzly attacks on hunters in October.

10-17-07  GRIZZLY RECOVERY PLAN IS REVIEWED

Grizzly numbers have fallen in the Alberta region, and a 3 year-year suspension of  hunting has been enacted so that a more accurate number of brown bear populations could be assessed.  The plan to list grizzlies there as threatened is now under review.  Populations estimates are around 400-500 bears for the eastern slope of the Rockies there, less than half of previous estimates.  The program BearSmart has been highly praised and it is thought it may receive much needed funding for future efforts in educating the public about bear safety and nuisance bears.   If the grizzly is found to be threatened, that will be announced in 2008.

09-28-07 GRIZZLY RELOCATED

An adult female grizzly was relocated from near Cody, Wyoming, to an area just south of Yellowstone National Park which is a protected grizzly habitat called the Grizzly Bear Primary Conservation Area.  The bear had been on private property.

09-28-07  BEAR KILLED WITH ARROW

A grizzly with 2  cubs was killed in the Yaak region near Libby, Montana.  The hunter said it was self defense.  This bear was 11 years old.  There are only about 20-30 brown bears living in that area, and they are protected.

09-26-07 IDAHO OFFICIALS WARN VISITORS

The Bridger-Teton National Forest now has a Food Storage Order that has been given, due to increased brown bear and black bear activity.  This order is in place for campers as well as hunters this fall, and includes all adjoining wilderness areas.  Proper food storage techniques can save bears' and people's lives. Many areas have noted an increase in brown bear ranges due to their having to expand their food territories this year, and the brown bears are encroaching on black bear territories.  Black bears cannot always easily share turf with grizzlies, so the black bears are being pushed into areas where food is scarce.  This forces black bears into campgrounds and residential areas to search for food.  Officials are urging visitors to exercise extreme caution when hiking and camping this fall.  They are also reminding visitors that they should leave the area immediately if they should see an animal carcass, because it may be guarded and protected by a bear.

09-10-07 GRIZZLY KILLED IN IDAHO

The death of a grizzly is being investigated in northern Idaho.  The last confirmed sighting of a grizzly there was in 1946.  The area is near the Selway-Bitteroot ecosystem, in the Kelly Creek Drainage, of the upper Clearwater Basin. That bear is on the threatened list in that area.  This bear was a large male at 500 pounds, and aged around 8 years old. The hunter was from Tennessee and was with a guide for part of the day, hunting for black bear.  The hunter and guide skinned the grizzly, packed it out of the backcountry, and reporting the killing to officials.  Some say the shooting could have been due to a bear charge, but that has not yet been confirmed. Grizzlies are a protected species in the lower 48 states and there is no hunting of grizzlies allowed in Idaho.

09-09-07 YELLOWSTONE PARK EMPLOYEE SHOOTS BEAR

The park's safety officer was charged by a grizzly while hunting for black bear north of the park.  The attack occurred in Gallatin National Forest, near Billings, Montana.  He wounded the bear.  The grizzly has not been found.  The man has severe wounds but will recover.  He said the sow came out of nowhere, charged, knocked him down, and began clawing and biting.

08-22-07 YELLOWSTONE BEAR REMOVED

A 3-year-old grizzly female bear has been removed from Yellowstone National Park and relocated to the Washington State University's Bear Research, Education and Conservation Program in Pullman.  Her name is Grizzly #539, and she has been in trouble numerous times.  She had lost her fear of humans, and had succeeded in damaging a lot of property and had repeatedly returned to a development at the north end of Yellowstone Lake.  Despite many attempts of dissuading the bear from returning to populated areas, involving hazing and removal, over 40 times over the past year, and also numerous trips in relocations by helicopter and boat, it was decided that the bear must be brought further away this time.  The bear will be held in captivity.

07-20-07 DECLAWED BEAR FOUND

A 300-pound 15-year-old female grizzly was found dead on the road near West Glacier, Montana.  The bear's claws had been removed after the bear was killed.  Perhaps the claws were cut out of her paws for souvenirs.  Unfortunately, it was also discovered that this bear had been lactating up until death, meaning that she had bear milk to feed to cubs.  Highway 2 is on the southern boundary of Glacier National Park.  Fish, Wildlife, and Parks personnel are searching for the cubs this week.

07-16-07 GRIZ CUB HIT BY CAR

A male grizzly bear cub, weighing 30 pounds, was hit by a car and killed near Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park.  The dead bear was found in the middle of a road by a National Park Service officer just after dawn.  He said that this was the third fatal bear road accident in the past three years in the park.

06-23-07  DEADLY TRAIN TRACKS CLAIM MORE BEARS

Two grizzly cubs and their 15-year-old mother were killed by a train that hit them on the tracks, on two separate nights near Banff, in Canada.  An examination of the bears revealed that they had not been eating any grain spilled by the train, they just happened to be on the track when the train hit them.  The crew on the train were very upset by the incidents. 

06-12-07 MAN SURPRISES BEAR FAMILY

A man was attacked by a mama grizzly with cubs near the Jackson Lake lodge in Utah, in Grand Teton National Park.  He came upon her and her cubs feeding on an elk carcass.  When he saw the bears and they saw him, he yelled at the bears and then dropped down on the ground bracing himself for an attack.  One bear charged and bit him, as another person came up and scared the bear off, also yelling at the bear.  The wounds were not serious and the bear will not be sought.  The person who scared the bear off was a 19-year-old girl employed by the lodge for the summer.  She and her friend scared the bear away, then pulled the man into the cart they were in, and drove him to safety.

06-10-07 HABITAT LOSS IMPACTS BEARS

A recent study of grizzlies in Alberta, Canada shows that the brown bear may be on its way to extinction in the next 50-100 years in that area of the country. The area targeted was Banff and the area south of Banff, according to a report focusing on the area north of the Trans-Canada Highway on the eastern slopes, between Highway 1 and Highway 3.  Where there were previously nearly 25 bears per square kilometer, there are now only 11 bears per square kilometer.  The reason?  Overdevelopment resulting in a loss of habitat, loss of denning sites, loss of natural food, loss of roaming area. 

06-05-07 MOOSE CALVES ATTRACT BEARS

Anchorage, Alaska has some wildlife problems on its hands: female moose having babies in residential neighborhoods, and the grizzlies following them to prey on the calves.  Grizzlies have been seen on neighborhood streets, eating calves, mid-day in some areas, and have charged people having coffee before work.  While it is not possible for all bears to be removed from these situations, residents there know how to use pepper spray and use caution.

05-24-07  VERY LARGE BEAR FOUND IN MONTANA

A huge male grizzly bear was captured by a wildlife biologist in a routine check on female grizzlies in the Teton River Drainage in the Blackleaf Wildlife Management Area northwest of Choteau.  This bear was 7 1/2 feet standing upright, and weighed in at 750 pounds; in the fall he will add another hundred pounds to that.  He was darted, measured, weighed, and fitted with a collar that may or may not stay on - the bear's neck measured 4 feet around.  The pad of his paw measured 7 1/8  inches across, and the curved claws were 3 1/2 inches long.  Mike Madel of Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks, was the person who found the bear, in a project that was fitting female grizzlies with radio collars to help determine the population of grizzlies in that area.  The study, which began in 2004, is part of an effort to document the number of grizzlies.  Later, if it is found that grizzlies have recovered beyond the number estimated, they could possibly come off the endangered species list in that part of the country.

05-24-07 MONTANA PHOTOGRAPHER / WRITER ATTACKED BY BEAR

A 57-year-old author / photographer from Bozeman, Montana, Jim Cole, has been attacked by a grizzly who had a cub with her, in Yellowstone National Park.  The man came over a ridge, and the bear came out of nowhere.  It was so sudden that he had no time to hit the trigger on his bear spray.  He suffered severe lacerations to his face, including getting his left eye knocked out, but managed to hike 3 miles to reach help.  He had previously been attacked by another grizzly back in 1993 in Glacier National Park. 

04-30-07 UPDATE TO DE-LISTING THE BEAR

April 30 marks the day that the grizzlies that live in and around Yellowstone National Park, a area that totals about 9 million acres, is to be de-listed from the Endangered Species List.  However, already some groups are protesting that decision and attempting to bring suit against the federal government.  They are saying that the decision to de-list was reached because of political pressures, such as opening those wild lands to logging, oil exploration, and the building of vacation homes.  Others say that the efforts made by state DNR agencies as well as federal agencies such as U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the grizzly in this area were monumental, and spanned decades, involving closing off land so that it could revert to wildness, closing roads, shutting down human encroachment, so that habitat and bear could rebound.  Even though some land may be used for other resources, they say that the areas where the bears live will remain wild and for the bears.

04-11-07 GRIZZLY ATTACK

An East Idaho man was attacked by a grizzly outside of his home outside of Tetonia, near Idaho Falls.  The bear was seen chasing the man's dog, which escaped the bear completely.  The man found the bear charging him suddenly, the bear grabbed him by the head and shook him like a rag doll. The man balled up when the bear released him. The bear walked away. After a moment the man got up, and the bear saw him and returned, this time biting his head, and clawing his back. Again the man balled up on the ground and played dead. When he stopped moving, the 350-pound bear left the scene. The bear has not been found.  The man recovered from the attack.

03-28-07 DE-LISTING THE GREAT BEAR

The Yellowstone grizzly bears have now been removed from the Endangered Species List - this will become effective April 30. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service announced the news. De-listing the bear in Yellowstone means that logging and oil- and gas-exploration can now take place in the area, and also that grizzlies can legally be hunted there, although the allowed take will be very few.  The grizzly has been protected there for over 30 years, and previous conservation efforts to build the grizzly population in Yellowstone included capturing wild grizzlies in Montana and delivering them to their new home. Now it is estimated that there are enough grizzlies there to take them off the list; however the existing population will continue to be monitored to make sure the number of bears does not fall below a certain amount. The move to de-list is a controversial one, and some say that the bears should have been left alone in Montana, if this is where this project was going to wind up; there are plans to appeal the decision.  In the early 1800's, there were more than 50,000 grizzlies in the western U.S. In 1975 there were only 136 grizzlies in the Yellowstone area. That population has grown to over 500, and that is the magic number for de-listing this bear.  Additionally, although the grizzly population along the Northern Continental Divide is larger than the Yellowstone population, there are no current plans to de-list the grizzly there.  Montana, Fish, Wildlife & Parks has stated that the bear population there, connected to Canadian wildlands, is several years away from de-listing consideration.

03-27-07 LLAMA-KILLING BEAR DEAD

A grizzly has been shot and killed after killing several llamas on private land in British Columbia. Apparently, the llamas knew the bear was there and ran toward the bear to defend their herd. The bear managed to kill ten of the llamas before he was killed. Damage is estimated at over $30,000. Wildlife officials say that the grizzly population has increased in the area of the Bella Coola Valley. Residents have been warned to carry firearms when outside in that area.

03-20-07 SAVING WILDLANDS IN THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY

An area of wild land has been set aside under protection in the Northwest Territories of Canada. 5,800 square miles will now be managed by Parks Canada with the Dene First Nations. This area is named the Sahoyue-Ehdacho National Historic Site, and includes boreal forest that touches Great Bear Lake near Deline. Although the area was previously designated a historical site, it did not carry the protected status until now. Making legal the protected status of this land means that certain development is stopped; oil and gas exploration and mining may not take place here. The word Sayoyue means grizzly bear mountain.