The Good, the Bad, and the Grizzly Bear
By Grant Anderson
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grizzly_bear
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I have always thought of grizzly
bears as being the peak of danger in the wilderness. Several campfire stories,
movies, and warnings from my mom further instilled in me the terrifying image
of a towering grizzly waiting to strike down at my neck with its razor-sharp
claws.
Description and Ecology
The truth is, grizzly bears can be
quite shy around humans and if they sense their presence, they will alter their
daily routine of collecting food to avoid crossing paths. In a way, the life of
a grizzly bear can be compared to the ideal American cowboy’s life of solitude and individualism. The independent grizzly spends a
good portion of its 20-25 year life wandering the forest alone except when
mating in early May to mid July, or while taking care of cubs. They will roam through
their preferred habitats of high elevation slopes and low elevation wetlands,
enriching the ecological communities by regulating prey populations and
spreading seeds and nutrients.
When a grizzly is hungry for some
grub, they will eat White Bark Pine tree seeds, ungulates, cutthroat trout,
army cutworm moths, and berries. They also enjoy digging for roots and
squirrels, planting seeds and other nutrients while they rummage through the
soil. Their manure is also a very effective fertilizer for plant life in the
habitat!
Geographic and Population Changes
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https://www.barryjwilson.com/blog/the-big-5-threats-to-grizzly-bears-it-s-not-trophy-hunting
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Grizzly bears are found in the
western part of Canada, Alaska, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and Washington. In the
past, the grizzlies inhabited most of the space stretching down from Alaska to
Mexico and from California to Ohio. According to the Defenders of Wildlife
website, grizzly bear populations used to be estimated at 50,000 in the 1800’s,
but are now reduced to less than 2% of that original population.
Cause of Listing and Main Threats
The main threats to grizzly bears
are global warming, human conflict, and increased development in their
habitats. White Bark Pine tree seeds, a staple food in the grizzlies’ diet in
Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho (Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem), are being threatened
by vicious beetles that kill the trees. The beetles came into the area because
of rising global temperatures, and the warmth now keeps them reproducing at
alarming rates.
With a lack of White Bark Pine
trees, bears will start scavenging for other food sources, and might run into
deadly encounters with humans as they search through garbage in nearby towns.
Grizzly bears are also threatened by roads and settlements that limit the size
of their habitat, which needs to be large enough for them to freely roam.
Description of Recovery Plan
The 2007 U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service Recovery Plan Supplement for grizzly bears focuses on further ensuring the
successful recovery of grizzlies in the Greater Yellowstone Area.
The plan’s main points include maintaining
the number of preexisting secure habitats and developed areas in the ecosystem,
and preventing the creation of new livestock grazing land.
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https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/02/american-west-climate-change-beetles-whiteback-pines-grizzly-bears/
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The document explains that you are
allowed to create new secure habitats and development zones as long as they are
not threatening the recovery of the bears. New livestock grazing land and an
increase of sheep is not permitted in the Greater Yellowstone Area, and the current
lands will be “monitored, evaluated, and phased out as the opportunity arises
with willing permittees.” The plan also talks about monitoring the bear’s food
supplies, habitat effectiveness, and private lands that may increase the death rates
of grizzlies.
The rest of the document shows
tables with exact counts on habitats, developed areas, and budgetary costs for
implementing conservation efforts. There is also a large section where the
writers address the public’s many questions about the recovery plan and its
implementation.
What Can You Do?
If you wish to help the grizzly
bears with recovery, you can speak out and inform others about the threats they
face and their limited range in the United States. You can also use bear-proof
containers to hold your food and trash if you are ever in their territory.
Additionally, the Defenders of
Wildlife website has a mighty fine deal where you can adopt a stuffed animal grizzly
to raise money for the bears’ habitats. The link to purchase the animal is
listed below:
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https://www.barryjwilson.com/blog/the-big-5-threats-to-grizzly-bears-it-s-not-trophy-hunting
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Other Resources
If you would like to look at the
exact data and wording of the 2007 Recovery Plan Supplement, it is listed
below, along with the original 1993 Recovery Plan it is based on.
1993: https://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/930910.pdf
Become a Wildlife Defender Member:
https://secure.defenders.org/site/Donation2?df_id=11340&11340.donation=form1&s_src=3WJW1800XXXXX&s_subsrc=join_topnav_grizzly-bear/basic-facts_030818
Works Cited
Become a Wildlife Defender Member:
https://secure.defenders.org/site/Donation2?df_id=11340&11340.donation=form1&s_src=3WJW1800XXXXX&s_subsrc=join_topnav_grizzly-bear/basic-facts_030818
Works Cited
“Grizzly Biology
& Behavior.” Western Wildlife Outreach,
westernwildlife.org/grizzly-bear-outreach-project/biology-behavior/.
Sheppard, Kate.
“How Climate Change Threatens Grizzly Bears.” Mother Jones, Mother Jones and the Foundation for National Progress ,
24 June 2017, www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/02/american-west-climate-change-beetles-whiteback-pines-grizzly-bears/.
“Basic Facts
About Grizzly Bears.” Defenders
of Wildlife, Charity
Navigator , 30 Nov. 2017, defenders.org/grizzly-bear/basic-facts.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI like how visually appealing your blog is! It is refreshing after reading a few blogs to see something different. I never knew that grizzly bears once were found all the way down into mexico!. Great post! -Michael Avila
ReplyDeleteGreat job! I was surprised to hear that grizzly bears can actually be quite shy around humans and generally try to avoid crossing paths with them. I had always thought of grizzly bears as quite terrifying, so this was interesting to hear. I was also surprised to see that grizzly bears used to be found as far east as Ohio, because I generally think of them as existing only in the west. - Bailey Barton
ReplyDeleteCan't believe that grizzly bears can be quite shy around humans because they are usually not portrayed that way. So interesting how they would alter their daily routine just so they wouldn't cross paths with humans. - Zamantha Baraceros
ReplyDeleteInteresting to see how the geography of the grizzly bear has shrunk and pushed north because of global warming! I like your interesting writing style and language! -Audrey Bolesta
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ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to learn specifics about a well-known endangered animal, the grizzly bear. I am surprised the population has been reduced to less than 2% since the 1800s. I hope now the population will be more well-maintained. - Chris Berridge
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ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your blog. It is interesting to learn that the grizzly bear is a shy animal when it comes to humans and will go out of their daily routine to avoid crossing paths with us and, despite their attempts to not interact with us, several factors force them to scavenge for food in areas with a higher presence of humans. -Guillermo Avilez
ReplyDeleteI love the blog, especially as you keep it short and sweet and hit only the most important points. I am interested to see what makes bear proof containers bear proof. I found it interesting how the beetles were destroying the grizzly's habitat as a byproduct of global warming. Did the recovery plan have any suggestions for how to deter this from happening?
ReplyDelete-Austin Davis
I really like the artistic touch on the first picture. It was interesting to read about their shy behavior around humans that is contrary popular belief. It was sad to read how much humans are impacting their lives in almost every way. Have there been plans to exterminate the beetles that are destroying their food source?
ReplyDelete-Keaton Bates
Good idea with the bear-proof containers when out in their habitat, after all it really is THEIR habitat and we are just visiting it. Good post, I found it interesting how global warming affects even grizzly bears! -Jenna A.
ReplyDeleteI love the lay out of your blog, it appears to be really professional. I really like the detailed statistics as well, such as the population being reduced to 2% of what it use to be. You also have really helpful links at the end of your blog.- Grant Baldwin
ReplyDeleteGrizzly bears are cool animal- Pierson Berry
ReplyDeleteIt is extremely sad to see the Grizzly bear be put on the endangered watch list. They are such a big part of California's wildlife and I have even seen one in the wild. Excellent information and good structure with graphics. Good work!
ReplyDelete-Shea Blackman