U PDATEIncludingEndangered a Reprint Species of theTechnical latest USFWS Bulletin THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN October 1988 Vol .5 No. 12 School of Natural Resources In this Issue: What Place For The Listing Protection Grizzly? Proposed For Seven Species Sea Turtle Conserva- Recovery Plans Dis- tion in the Southeast- cussed for Three ern Continental U.S. Species What Place for the Grizzly? by Stan Tixier The grizzly bear needs a lot of land. national parks -Glacier, Grand Teton, tors hoping to see a grizzly bear. For Key to survival of this federally listed, North Cascades, and Yellow stone others, a lifestyle dependent upon the threatened species is maintaining and and 19 national forests-Beaverhead, land and its resources- logging, ranch- enhancing the habitat that remains for Bridger-Teton, Custer, Flathead, Ga- ing, mining, real estate development- the grizzly bear in the lower 48 states. latin, Idaho Panhandle, Shoshone, may be hampered by efforts to resuict Because many interests have a stake in Targhee, Lewis and Clark, Helena, developments in grizzly bear habitat. what happens to this land, coordination Lolo, Kootenai, Colville, Bittemt, Governors, congressmen, and other and cooperation are key to successful Nez Pierce, Clearwater, Okanogan, elected representatives in the four states recovery of the bear and its habitat. For Wenatchee, and Mt. Baker- with grizzly bear populations are sensi- the past four years, an assortment of Snoqualamie. Some grizzly habitat is tive to the needs of their local constitu- state and federal agencies has worked also under the jurisdiction of the Bureau ents and often intercede when local in- quietly to cooperate in and coordinate of Land Management, all aspects of grizzly bear habitat and Indian tribes, state population management. This venture, agencies, counties, done under the auspices of the Inter- and private landown- agency Grizzly Bear Committee, could ers. The Fish and set a new precedent in cooperative natu- Wildlife Service is re- ral resource management. sponsible for aiding The grizzly bear, which once the recovery of threat- roamed the western United States from ened and endangered Canada to Mexico, now lives on about species. State wildlife 20,000 square miles in six areas of four agencies in Montana, states: Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and Idaho, Wyoming and Washington. Grizzly bear populations Washington admini- exist in the greater Yellowstone area of ster wildlife popula- Wyoming, Montana and Idaho; along tions, including griz- the Continental Divide in northern zly bears. Montana; in the Cabinet/Yaak area in Each agency has northwestern Montana and northeast- its own agenda and em Idaho; in the Selkirk mountains of operating procedures. northern Idaho, and in the North Cas- For instance, the Na- cades of northwestern Washington. tional Park Service preserves land for terests are threatened by federal or state How to manage these lands to help griz- public enjoyment. It administers na- bureaucracies. zly bear populations recover has been tional parks as natural areas, based on In the greater Yellowstone area, the subject of increasing controversy. the policy of noninterference with park home to about 200 grizzly bears, nearly A complex array of agencies and life forms and their natural environ- 30 different political entities govern the individuals have jurisdiction over land ment. The Forest Service administers land. That includes 2 national parks, 6 used by the bears. Critics call this com- national forest land for multiple uses, national forests reporting to 3 different plexity a threat to survival. Natural re- including wildlife, watersheds, recrea- regional offices, 2 national wildlife ref- source professionals see this diversity tion, timber, grazing, minerals, and wil- uges, 3 states, 13 counties, and the Bu- as an opportunity to provide many derness--depending on the unique reau of Land Managment. benefits to the public, including healthy character of each area. And the wide-ranging grizzly is no populations of grizzly bears. In addition, long-time residents of respecter of political boundaries. The the towns and ranches in and around bear's home range is among the largest A Crowded Picture grizzly bear country have a stake in of any mammal; 100 to 400 square what happens to the land. Owners of miles is average, with some males rang- The land management picture is resorts and small-town businesses may ing 1,100 square miles or more. The crowded. Most grizzly habitat is in four welcome the tourist revenue from visi- bears of Yellowstone National Park Vol. 5 No. 12 Endangered Species UPDATE 1 spend a good deal of time on adjacent agency Grizzly Bear Committee was national forest land and some time on the Interagency Grizzly Bear Steering private land. Although private land is Committee, established in 1973 to coor- only 1 percent of the grizzly's habitat in dinate grizzly bear investigations in the the Yellowstone area, about 60 percent Yellowstone area. of the human-bear conflicts occur there. When the grizzly bear was listed as a Endangered Species Close coordination is needed for bear threatened species in 1975 under the UPDATE Endangered Species Act, agency offi- habitat management among the varying A forum for information exchange on entities. cials saw the need for integrated bear endangered species issues and bear habitat management beyond the greater Yellowstone area. Listing October 1988 Interagency Cooperation occurred because of concerns about a Vol. 5 No. 12 possible population decline, continuous Rob Blair .................. Editor For several years a unique blend of resource demands on shrinking bear Michael Soul6 ............Faculty Advisor state and federal agencies has been habitat, and deficient information on bear tackling this problem. The Interagency grizzly biology. The Endangered Species UPDATE Grizzly Bear Committee was created in After the Fish and Wildlife Service welcunes articles related to species 1983 to get top-level agency action on developed its final recovery plan for the protection in a wide range of areas in- grizzly bear management problems and grizzly bear in 1982, officials devel- cluding but not limited to: research and management activities for endan- to coordinate grizzly bear research, oped the Interagency Grizzly Bear gered species, theoretical approaches management and funding in the lower Committee to coordinate management to species conservation, and habitat 48 states. The committee was estab- and research for all grizzly bear habitat protection and preserve design. Book lished by a memorandum of under- areas. the copmittee and its sub reviews, editorial comments, and an- nouncements of current events and standing among the secretaries of inte- committees cover all entities of the six publications are also welcome. rior and agriculture and the governors known grizzly bear ecosystems: Yel- of Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and lowstone, Northern Continental Divide, Readers include a broad range of pro- Washington. Cabinet-Yaak, Selkirk, Bitterroot, and fessionals in both scientific and policy fields. Articles should be written in Every agency that has a stake in griz- North Cascades. Other subcommittees an easily understandable style for a zly bear recovery is represented on the coordinate research and public informa- knowledgeable audience. committee- those that administer the tion and education efforts. Manuscripts should be 7-10 double land and those that manage the animal The committee's goal is to help the spaced typed pages. For further information please mntact Rob Blair itself. Committee members include the grizzly bear populations recover at the number listed below. regional directors of the Forest Service, through coordinated policy, planning, Park Service, and Fish and Wildlife research, management, and funding in Service; fish and game directors from the lower 48 states. There is also a need Subscription Information: the four states; a BLM state director; for coordination along the United and Canadian representatives. Sub- States-Canadian border because, again, The Endangered Species UPDATE is committee members include the offi- grizzly bears in the Selkirk, Cabinet- published approximately ten times per year by the School of Natural cers from these agencies as well as In- Yaak, North Cascade, and Northern Resources at ?he University of dian tribal representatives. Different Continental Divide ecosystems do not Michigan. Annual subscriptions are agency heads serve a two-year term as recognize political subdivisions. Wild- $15 each ($18 outside the U.S.). Send committee chairman. life officials from British Columbia check or money order (made payable The need for a coordinated approach recently became associate committee to ?he University of Michigan) to: to managing grizzlies and their habitat members. Endangered Species UPDATE was recognized long before 1983. Griz- The committee emphasizes pro- School of Natural Resources zly bear problems were among many grams in three major areas: grizzly bear The University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1 115 natural resource issues approached population and habitat management, (3 13)763-3243 jointly through the Greater Yellowstone law enforcement, and public education. Coordinating Committee established in It is coordinating research to assess and the early 1%0's and comprised of the minimize impacts of human develop- Cover: Forest Services Northern, Rocky ment on vitally needed grizzly bear Grizzly Bear Mountain, and Intermountain regional habitat. It has also helped