Grizzly Bears in Ldaho's Selkirk Mounlains

PelerZager Biology Departn.rent Muskingum College New Concord, Ollio 43762

GrizzlyBears in ldaho's Selkirk Mounlains:an Update

Abstract

A grizzly bcar (Uti t drctat ho bili: L.) survey rl,as conductcd in north ldaho,s Selkirk Nloun_ tains in 1981. This survey utdatcs and supplements Layser's (1978) work. Fifty nine reliable ac- c,.rrs. ot.g.ril,lJbe"r .rphringsor eridrnre ,in,e l" s .:r" .ep,,rr.d.Thc .. l:rt.. in ,onjL,nc1ion qirl- 'hi Srlm^X.irc'enr. rhc Pu'.ell anJ \esr Cab.nermor"i",n., and sou.l,ernB.i,:,t (. uml-:.r appear to provide adequatc suitable habitat ro sutport a viable grizziy bear popularion. lntroduction 'fhe "threarened grizzly bear was classified as a species" (Indangered Species Act 1973) in the cooriguous United States in 1975. This classificationresulted from a substantialpopulation decline since the arrival of Europeanman in the western U_S. Today, grizzly bears in the lower 48 states are restricred to the yello$,stone National '$Cash- Park areaand the norhern Rocky Mountaios of Monraoa,idahq and northwesr ingtoo ( USFWS 1981). Relatively litrle was kno$'n about grizzly bears in rhe U.S. until 20 years ago. Ao intensive study ol grizzly bear ecology was conducted in yellowstone National park duriog the 1960s (Craighead and Craighead I972a, 1972b). More recently, research q.as conducted by the Interagency Gtizzly Be*l Study Team in yellowstone Natiooal Park (.Judd and Knight 1980). Martin_ka (1,974t, 7974b, 1976) reported on bears in Glacier National Park. In 1975, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serviceand the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks initiated grizzly bear researchio notthwestern Mootana. That rvotk iocluded snrdiesof the distriburion and productivity of huckle- betry (Vaccitiam spp.), a rnajor b€ar fo{d ( Martin 1979); the role of logging and wildfire on gizzly beat habnat (Zager 1980); and grizzly bear ecologyio the Mission Mountains( Servheen1981). Excepting layser's (1978) summary of the historical distribution of grizzly bears in the Selkirks,grizzly bear information is lacking for the Selkirk and Purcell mouorains in Idaho, rhe Salmo Mounaios in qortheast ri/ashingron, and the Cabioet Mountains io nofthwest Montana.The overall goal of this survey was to collect preliminary infor- matiol oo grizzly bear distribution and habitat suitability in the Selkirk Mounrains. More specificobjectives included: ( 1) summarizilg recentrecords ol grizzly Eearobservations and evidenceto supple- ment and update Layser's( 1978) work; ( 2 ) describioggtizzly beat habitat use io rhe Selkirks by documenting feeding sites, scatg tracks, and other indirect widence; and (l) assessiogsuitability of the area for grizzly bears. This survey focused on that portion of the Selkirk Mouotains io the nonhwest corner of Idaho's paohandle.This area correspondsroughly with curtently occupied grizzly bear range (USFWS 1!81). Elevationsrange from 750 m to over 2250 m. The

Northwest Science,Vol. 57, No. 4, 1983 299 topography is rugged with exposed bedrock common at mid-to-high elevations. The Pacific maritime influence dominates the area, resulting in normally loog, snowy wrtrrers and short, damp summers. The forests are dominated by western hemlcrk (Tsuga betetophflIa) and subalpine fit (Abiet lat;oc.upa') which are potential dimax series (Dauberrmire aod Daubenmire 1968), thongh pockets of Douglas-fir (Psend.otsugalnenzieii) and westero red cedar (T huja phcata) series are also {ound. Shrubfields and both mesic and dry meadows are interspersed throughour the forest, creatiog a diverse mosaic of plant communicies acfoss rhe landscape. Historically, vrildfire was a significanr factor affecing the Selkirk landscape. The past 50 years of effective fire suppression have reduced this influence. The most recent major wildfires in the area were the 6000 ha Trapper Peak Fire and the 9000 ha Sun- dance Fire, both in 1967. Curently, rimbef harvest and associated activities are the most impoltant influences on vegetatiotr arrd vlildfire of the area. Ttrough some comr mercial logging was doo€ as eady as the 1920q most activity on the survey area dates from the 1960s. Approximately 8000 ha of the survey area and adjacent Washington are included in the proposedSalmo-Priest \Tildeness Area (Fig. 1).

Methods Records from the following q/ere searched for recent ( since 1975), reliable grizzly bear accourrts: (1) the Border Gizzly Proja:t (BGP) at the University of Montaoa; (2) the Bonoer's Ferry Ranger District, Idaho PanhandleNational Forests; (3) the

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I Figure 1. Evide_oceof grizzly txars itr the Selkirk Mouotains,northern Idaho, 19j5-1981. 1,975*; 1976 *; 1911lt 1978't{; 1979 Q i 1980 * ; 1981 .; proposedSalmo-Priest Ifiildernesj Area_._,_

100 Zager Priest Lake Ranger District, Idaho PanhandleNational Forests;and (4) the Idaho De- partment of Fish and Game. To supplementand update rhese iecords, people kflowl- edgeable about bears and/or the Upper Priesr River rrex were inten'iewed. The validity of eachrecord was rated accordingto a somewhatsubjective 1-j sczrle.A report of gtlzzly bear sign or a sighting that was confirmed or verified by g:n-reoneknowl- '5" eclgeableabout bearswas given a rating. There was no reasonto doubt the veraciry "4" of an accouflt that receivedthis rating. A rating of was assigned!o records rhar rvere probably valid basedon the reponer's bear experienceand the type of evidence. Scatsrvere often rated 4 becauseof rhe poteotiai for classificationerror resulting frorn size overiap between black beat and grizzly bear scats, eveo rhough conseivative "3" criteria rvere used (see belorv). Accounts that were possibly valid received a rating. A sketchy observatioorepoit by ao inexperiencedobselaer would be rated oo higher than 3. Accounts thar \\'ete weaker thdn I were not consideredvalid. Records were codedby year and plotted on a /2":1 mile map (Fig. 1). Extensive ground recorrrraissanceaod a fixed"u'ing aircraft flight were conduced in areasof tepeatedgrizzly bear accountsand other ateasof apparently suitablehabitar between 11 June and 7 August 1981. In addition, a searchfor grizzly bear dens was conductedby helicopter ( Servheen1981) on 5 August. Evidenceof grizzly bear use of areassearched during the ground recorrnaissaocewas recoided.Discernible evidence included tracks, scats, excavatiols for rodents, logs rorn apart for insects, arrd overturned rocks. Tracks were consideredto be those of grizzly bears if the claw marks 'wereat least 3.8 cm in froot of the toe pads.Scats greater than 5 cm in diameter and/ ot with a volume gteaterthan 1.0 liter were classifiedas gtizzly bear scats.These criteria ale coosefvative(Hamet et al. 1)81), therebyminimizing classificationerlor. Pertioent infolnation regarding the commuoities rcc-upyiogthese sites such as rhe abundance o{ important grizzly bear f

Resullsand Discussion PastGrizzlv Bear Reoorts The evidenceof g\zzly bears reponed since 1975 in Idaho's Selkirk Mountains is summarizedin Table l and Figure 1. Most recent evidence of gtizzly bear activity occurs nofth of Upper Priest lake. Reports south of the lake are infrequent- There are severalpossible explaoations for this pattern: 1. The Priest Lake areais gaining populatiry as a summer rexlrt area.Land is beiog dweloped for summer and year-aroundhomes and the numbef of tourists is rapidly increasing.Moderate to high levels of human activiry can displacewildlife popr-rlations, including grizzly bmrs, as a result oI both direct and iodirect conflicts. 2. The level of resourcemanagement! particrrlarly rimber harvest and asscrciated activities,is much greatersouth oI Upper Priest Lake than it is notth of the lake. This habirat alteration could modify the habitat in such a way rhar it is no longer suitable Iot grrzzly bearsby removing favored food items and secudty cover, altering traditional tavel routes,or introducinga disturbancefactor in the form of increasinghuman activity. Poachingcould also be a sigoificant problem in areaswhere there is ready access. 3. Aoother possibility is that the habitat south of Upper Priest Lake, eveo under pristine conditions,is not suitable ro suppolt bears.Some suppoft for this hypothesis

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Gtizzly Bearc io the Selkirks 305 comesfrom Layser's(1978) data. His report included few gtizzly bear ltxations south of the upper lake since 1900, prior to significant increasein human acriviry and re- sourcemanagemen!. Typicai suitableglzzly bear habitat io the northern Rocky Moun- tains consistsof a mosaic ol plant comrnunity types, especiailynacurally open com, munities (tree canopy { 30 percent), such as wer rneadorvsand wildfire-induced shrubfields (Herrero 19713,Zager 7980, Servheen 1981). Such naturally open areas are common alone rhe Selkirk Crest and north of Upper Priest Lake; rhey are much less frequent south of the 1ake. Perhapsthis historic patern ol gtizzly bear teports results from a combination of these aocl other factors.

FieldReconnaissance Evidence Field reconnaissanceresulted io the identification of several areas used extensively by grizzly bears.Five large bear scats (presumably gr\zzly beat scats) n'ere collected io late June from the timbered margin of Hughes Meadow (a low elevation rvet meadow). Analysis revealed the bear(s) fed prirnarily on sedges (Cat.ex spp.) and cow parsnip (Heucletm latatunt'1 in the meadow (Table 2). Anaiysis of 7 orher spring grizzly bear scats indicated that ungulates (probabiy deer) and various forbs *,ere also consumed.No scatsu.ere found thar would indicate summer or fall food habits. Excavations for Colun-rbianground squirrels (.Spennophiluscolanbianus) wete found on Conrinental Mouotain and Snowy Top. Digs for glacier lily (.Etythronianz grattcliflorut ) were {ound throughout the area. Rocks, overturned by bears in search of insects,rvere {ound on SnorvyTop, Bugle Ridge, and in other areas.Gtizzly beat tracks were found on an old fire road at the head of Cow Creek-

ConstltuentElements The constiruentelements of grizzly beat habirat as defined by the USDA ForestSeffice (198i) include 1) spring range, 2) summer raoge, 3) fall range, 4) deoniog habitat, and 5) spaceand solitude. Requirementsfor these constituent elementsmust be met f'r a grizzll be.rrpopul.rrion ro 5urvivein an area. Spring range includesarsas rhat ate soowfreeand producean abundanceof succrlent vegetalioo early in spring. Ungulate rvintet range where carrion may be present is also included. In the Selkirks, spriog range is provided by the following habitat components: (1) wuth-facing snowchutes that ate found, for example, on Shedroof Mountain and Soowy Top (see Fig. 1); (2) low elevation wet meadows such as Hughes Meadows and certain areas along Bog Creek, Cow Creek, and Grass Creek; and (3) dre closed-canopyboromland forest along the Upper Priest River. Summergrizzly bear habitat includesareas rhar remain relatively moist aod produce "early" succulent vegetation throughour the summer, and componeots that provide berries,or starchy ro<.rtsand tubers. Summer grizzly bear habitat requirementsare sat- isfied by the following components: (1) high elevation wet meadowssuch as those at the heads of Cow, Trapper, and Grass creeks; (2) creekbotromshrubfields found rhroughout the area' (J) meadowsat rhe headsof snowchutessuch as those on Snowy Top; and (4) meadoq.son dry, steepsites such as thoseoq Conrioental Mountain and Hughes Ridge.

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Grizzly Bearsin the Selkirks 301 ()rizzly bears feed on berries (e.g., huckleberries; mountain ash, .lorlzrr spp.; serviceberrjes(Anelanchier ahtilolia l l, often to the near exclusiooof orher food itens. during the fall. Therefore, lall griz.zly bear habitat includes cornponentsio q,hich berries arc abunclant.Durinll poor berry years,creekbotton-rs ancl high elevation wet meadows ren-raininportaot throughout the fail. The follov'ing habitet components satisfy. in large part, tall gri,zzlybear habitat requiremenrsin the Selkirks: (1) wild- fite inclucedshrubfields such as those createdby the Trapper Peak and Sundancefires; (2) shrubfieldsin certain cutring units (unscarifiedsites at least 10 vears okl); (l) shrubfields on dry. steep sites rhar are scatteredtlrroughout the area: (4) high elcvation q.et meadorvs;and (5) creekbottornshrubfields.

Denoing habirat is also available in the Seikirks. Severalprobable dens were dis- covered during the helicopter sunel'. They ryere located on a steep, southwestslope northrvestof SnorvyTop. The area rlls e Jry meadorvrvirh scetteredrjmbet and shrubs. Though no other dens rvete found, habitat very simjlar to known grizzly bear deoning habitar in the Mission Mountains (Servheen1981, pers. comm.) and the FlatheadNa- tionaL Forest q'as found at high elevations in the drainage heads along the Selkitk Crest. Layser's (19711) report mentioned a possible clenniog atea at the head of the West Fork of Smith Creek. After inspecting the area, I concur that rhe Smith Creek areaappeais to be suitabledennine habitat.

Spaceaod solitude are ncbuiousqualities of grizzly beat habirat that are extremely djf{icult to quanrify. The minin.rurnviable grizzly bear population size is 30-70 bears fShaffer 1978). Becausethe averagegrizzly bear density io the nonhero Rocky Mouo- tains is l beat per 50 sq.km. (USFWS 1981). 1500-3500sq. km. of conriguoussuir- able habitat is needed rc supg-rrt a minimum viable popularion. There are only 1108 sq. km. of occupied,aod presr.rmablysuitable. grizziy bear habitat in ldaho's Selkirk Mountains (USF\7S 198i). But thc Selkirk grizzlv bears do not tepresent a com- pletely isolated population. The adjacent proposed Salmo,Priest lflilderness Area and adjacent lands in British Columbia combine with the Selkirks to provide ample habitat to meet the spacerequirements for a viable populatioo.

In summary,based on this recorrnaissancesurvey, I believeall the elementsof.grizzly bear habitat are provide

Acknowledgments I thank J. Beechamand C. Servheenfor suggestionsaod comments,and N. Garner for field assistance.Financial and a,-lminisrrativesupporr wcre provided by the ldaho De- partment of Fish and Game, the USDA Forest Service. the U.S. Fish and Witdlife Sen'ice,and N{uskingumCollege.

103 Zaget Literature Cited Craigiread, I., Jr., and .f. Craighead.'d. 1972a.r972a. DaraData on grizzly bcar deoning activities and behavior obtn;oedobtaioed by usinsusing wildlife relemetrv.telemetry, pp.DD. 8.1,118.i,106 ,, S. Herrero (cd.t. Berrs Their Biolo$, and Management. IUCN Pubi.ubi. New Series No. 21. ,uld _ . 1972b. Gtlzzly bear prchibernatioo and dcnning acrivitics as derermined by radio+racking. \{rildl. Monogr. No. 23. Daubenmire, R., and J. Daubenmire. 1968. foresr Vcgctation of Eastcrn \(ashington and Northern Idaho. Wash. Agric. Exp. Sra. Tcch. Butl. 60. Hamer, D., S- llerrero, and L. Rogcn- 1981. Diffcrcntiaring black and grizzly be fcces. rx/ildl. Soc.Bull. 9:210 212. Herrero, S- 1978- A comparison of some features of the evolution, ecology, and betravior of black and Srlzzly/brown bears.Carnivorc 1:1 17. Judd, S., and R. Knisbt. 1980. Movcmcnrs of ralro-rnsuumentcd srrzzlr bcrrs within thc ycltorv, sronearea, pp. )t9-768 in C. Marrinka rnd R. M.Arrhur (ed'.1. Bcrrs Their Biotogy and Minasement. Bcar Biol. Assoc. Conf. Scr. No. 3. Layser, E. 1978. Grizzly beals in the southcrn Selkirk Mountains, Nonhw Sci. i2:7t-91. Marrin, P. 1979. Procluctivity and Taxonomy of tbe Vaccinium. lalobuLere. V. nei"brat,treullt Compi-rCompiex inrn V\\ esr' n l\-4.nr ,na. M.S.M.\. thesis,rnesr. Univ.Uni\. orof Monrrnr-Monrana, Mi'.,uMissoula r N{artinka, C. 1974a- Preserving rhc naturalrrat status ifgrizzliesof grizzlies ;"in Ci".i.i ri"ii.ra Park. lVil

Receited.February 15, 1982 Accepterlfot publication June 21, 1!82

Grizzly Bears in the Selkirks 309