Grizzly Bears, Insects, and People: Bear Management in the Mcdonald Peak Region, Montana Robert W

Iowa State University From the SelectedWorks of Robert Klaver 1986 Grizzly Bears, Insects, and People: Bear Management in the McDonald Peak Region, Montana Robert W. Klaver, United States Department of the Interior James J. Claar, United States Department of the Interior David B. Rockwell, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Herschel R. Mays, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes C. Frank Acevedo, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Available at: https://works.bepress.com/robert-klaver/66/ GRIZZLY BEARS, INSECTS, AND PEOPLE: BEAR MANAGEMENT IN THE MCDONALD PEAK REGION, MONTANA Robert W. Klaver, James J. Claar, David B. Rockwell, Herschel R. Mays, and C. Frank Acevedo ABSTRACT: Historically, grizzly bears generally summer above 7,000 ft, and spend fall congregate July through September on McDonald in the Mission Valley (Servheen 1983; USDI, BIA Peak in the Mission Mountains on the Flathead 1985). Indian Reservation to feed upon an aggregation of ladybird beetles (Coccinelidae) and army The population is declining because of high cutworm moths (Noctuidae). Recreational use of mortality from people-bear conflicts in the the McDonald Peak region has increased from valleys (Claar and others in press). The essentially no use in the mid-1950's to eight to Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CS & KT) ten parties per week climbing the Peak in 1980. and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) have an The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal active management program to limit this mortality Council has closed the area to public use from and to reverse the downward population trend (CS mid-July to October 1 since 1981. Objectives of & KT and BIA 1981). The management plan's goal the closure were to provide for human safety and is to secure and maintain a viable, self to protect a site critical to the Mission sustaining population in critical habitat on the Mountain grizzly bear subpopulation. The Flathead Indian Reservation (FIR). An important closure will decrease bear exposure to people, element of this plan is to protect habitat and to possibly reducing the rate of habituation. minimize human-bear competition. The purpose of Since grizzly bears must occupy the heavily this paper is to describe the management of a populated Mission and Swan valleys in the spring unique area in the Mission Mountains: the and fall, the closure will allow them to remain McDonald Peak region. at high elevations for a longer time where there are fewer threats to life, fewer opportunities East McDonald Peak, at 9,820 ft, is the highest for people-bear conflicts, and better mountain in the Mission Range with a relief of opportunities to gain enough weight on high approximately 6,600 ft in 4 airline miles protein insects to make interaction with humans (fig. 1). The Mission Range is protected by two later in the year less likely. Although a major wilderness areas: an 89,500-acre tribal concern was the public's response to closing a wilderness area and a 73,000-acre component of popular hiking area, visitor compliance was the National Wilderness Preservation System (CS & nearly complete and attitudes were positive and KT 1982). Timberline varies between 7,500 and supportive. Furthermore, we observed 10, 11, 8,000 ft, depending upon aspect. Davis (1916), and eight bears in 1981, 1982, and 1983. There Harrison and others (1969), and Pardee (1950) were indications the closure aided the bear provide a detailed geologic description of the population by decreasing mortality and increasing Mission Mountains; Alt and Hyndman (1972) provide bear use of the Peak. a more general description. Servheen (1981, 1983) and Servheen and Klaver (1983) described the grizzly bear habitat on the FIR. INTRODUCTION Grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis) BACKGROUND ON THE MCDONALD PEAK REGION inhabit the Mission Range in western Montana. They den above 7,000 ft, spend spring in both Grizzly Bears the Mission and Swan valleys below 4,000 ft, Records of grizzly bears congregating on McDonald Peak extend for over 60 years (table 1). Paper presented at the Grizzly Bear Habitat Although these records are not complete, they Symposium, Missoula, MT, April 30-May 2, 1985. show a consistent pattern of family groups on the Peak from late July through August. Jack Romer Robert W. Klaver and James J. Claar are Wildlife (1982) observed "literally hundreds of grizzly Biologists for the U.S. Department of the bears," mainly females with young, between 1932 Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Flathead and 1956 in his many visits to the Peak. Agency, Pablo, MT. David B. Rockwell, Herschel R. Mays, and C. Frank Acevedo are staff members Bud Cheff, Sr. (1985) observed grizzly bears on of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, McDonald Peak from the late 1920's to the Pablo, MT. present·. He mainly saw the bears in August 204 A B Figure 1.--~, McDonald Peak from U.S. Highway 93 near St. Ignatius, MT. B, Basin on McDonald Peak where the grizzly bears aggregate. Photo is taken from the observation post for censusing. Table 1 .• --Historical observation on McDonald Peak Number of Number of Date Total adults young Citation Previous to 1924 1 Elrod (n.d. a) Following year 7 5 2 Elrod (n.d. a) Aug. 1924 1 1 Elrod (n.d. b) Aug. 3, 1932 12 Chapman and others (1955) July 26, 1946 7 2 5 Underhill and Underhill (1950) Aug. 3, 1949 3 1 2 Wright (1982) July 22, 1951 2 2 Wright (1982) Sept. 19, 1952 0 Wright (1982) Shortly after Aug. 15, 1953 4 1 3 Wright (1982) Aug. 23, 1957 1 1 Stockstad (1959) Approximately Aug. 15, 1965 4 2 2 Pfeiff er (1982) Approximately Aug. 15, 1966 4 2 2 Pfeiffer (1982) Summer 1967 1 1 Pfeiffer (1982) Summer 1977 3 1 2 Pfeiffer (1982) 205 eating insects on the Peak and grazing in the same individuals return to the plains in the fall surrounding meadows. The bears usually gathered (Pruess 1967). Before the moths migrate, their in the evenings when the insects became more bodies are approximately 70 percent protein. active. All ages and sexes were observed on When they return in the fall, the moths have McDonald Peak, but females with young were gained weight as fat (Pruess 1967); so the moths common. are active during estivation (Chapman and others 1955; Pruess 1967; Johnson 1969). They are only There is some debate about why bears are on sometimes diurnally active at treeline, but are McDonald Peak in the summer months. Chapman and usually found near alpine meadows in dry places others (1955) reported that the bears were eating under rocks during the day (Pruess 1967). ladybird beetles (Hippodamia caseyi Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) and army cutworm moths (Euxoa Army cutworms are not a serious pest in the [Chorizagrotis] auxiliaris Lepidoptera:~~ Mission Valley (Bratton 1985). The closest area Noctuidae). Shoemaker (Elrod n.d. b, Romer with a large army cutworm infestation is the 1982; Chapman and others 1955) observed the bears Three Forks, MT, region (Jensen 1985), consuming ladybird beetles. Chapman (Chapman and approximately 160 airline miles from the Mission others 1955) collected 15 scats; nine consisted Valley. Army cutworm moths apparently are able largely or entirely of army cutworm moths, and to migrate 300 miles between spring and summer none contained ladybird beetles. Pfeiffer (1982) (Pruess 196 7). observed bears licking rocks with high magnesium chloride content. Romer (1982) believed the females also gathered to protect their young from People males. Recreational use of the McDonald Peak Basin has increased substantially since 1950. Stockstad Insects (1959) described Cliff Lake, located at the base of McDonald Peak, as having no signs of human Ladybird beetles make long migrations from use. He had "never seen an area that was as free prairie valleys to mountaintops for hibernation from the mark of man." (Fields and McMullen 1972; Harper and Lilly 1982). Edwards (1957) and Harper and Lilly By 1978, the situation at Cliff Lake had (1982) believed that ladybird beetles hibernate drastically changed (Rockwell and others 1978). on mountaintops for protection from the extreme The lake had 17 campsites, 15 of which could cold of the prairies; the mountain snowpack accommodate one or two tents, had one or two fire providing insulation from the cold. Heavy rings, and had lost a moderate amount of mortality can occur during hibernation as masses vegetative ground cover. The other two sites had of dead bodies may be found in summer months moderate loss of vegetative ground cover. The (Chapman 1954; Chapman and others 1955; Edwards Cliff Lake and McDonald Peak area received 1,400 1957). visitor-days over a 136-day season in 1979, as recorded at the Glacier Lake trailhead (CS & KT Aggregation sites in south-central British 1985). These data do not represent an Columbia (Fields and McMullen 1972) were on exceptionally high level of use relative to south-facing uppermost slopes among fractured surrounding areas, but do indicate a strong trend boulders covered with lichens. The beetles were of increasing use. in crevices between rocks. These aggregation sites became snow-free earlier in the spring than McDonald Peak, besides being the highest peak in did other parts of the mountain because of the the range, is also the most scenic. It is within south aspect, topography, and wind that created 4 miles of a major north-south highway, U.S. 93. shallow snowpacks. Ladybird movements to Easily seen from this popular route to Glacier aggregation sites began in early September and National Park, it is within 40 miles of Missoula, finished by mid-October; dispersal began in early population 33,000 and 70 miles from Kalispell, June and was completed by late June. Some population 11,000.

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