COURSE INFORMATION AND OBJECTIVES

Class Instructors:

  • Hilary Cooley, Grizzly Bear Recovery Coordinator, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

  • Cecily Costello, Wildlife Research Biologist, MT Fish Wildlife and Parks

  • Mark Haroldson, Supervisory Wildlife Biologist, Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team, Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem U.S. Geological Survey

  • Danielle Oyler, Southwest MT Bear Education Coordinator, Montana Bear Education Working Group

Through class presentations, discussions, and activities specializing in grizzly bear conservation and management, we highlighted the following:

  • The 8 bear species in the world - their distribution, habitats, and population trend.

  • The unique physiological and structural adaptations that have evolved in grizzly bears, such as hyperphagia and hibernation.

  • The challenges of coexisting with grizzly bears, including human safety and livestock depredations.

  • The 6 grizzly recovery areas, their population estimates, and the challenges of promoting connectivity between existing grizzly bear populations in the Northern Rockies to insure genetic diversity with the rapid increase in human population and development in these areas.

  • The history of grizzlies in the lower 48 states, including listing and delisting under the Endangered Species Act, and the subsequent transfer of management responsibilities to each state after delisting, with possible harvest of grizzly bears.

  • The results from decades of grizzly bear research in the Northern Continental Divide and Greater Yellowstone Ecosystems, which utilized DNA for population estimates and possible future threats.

  • Explore existing teacher resources available through state agencies and research teams, including “Staying Safe Around Bears”, “Grizzly Bears of Montana” and “Grizzly Bear – Ready for Delisting?”.

  • Discuss with research and management biologists from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, U.S. Geological Survey, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service what additional information will enrich your curriculum.