NCDE Grizzly Bear Conservation Strategy April 2013 NCDE Grizzly Bear Conservation Strategy ‐‐‐‐ DRAFT ‐‐‐‐ DRAFT ‐‐‐‐ DRAFT ‐‐‐‐ April 2013 Photo by Rick Mace, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks. 1 NCDE Grizzly Bear Conservation Strategy April 2013 Draft NCDE Grizzly Bear Conservation Strategy Table of Contents: ACRONYMS USED IN THIS DOCUMENT .......................................................................................................... i Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................................... ii Chapter 1 – Introduction and Background ................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2 – Demographic Criteria .............................................................................................................. 34 Chapter 3 – Habitat Management and Monitoring .................................................................................... 41 Chapter 4 – Conflict Prevention, Response, and Nuisance Bear Management .......................................... 93 Chapter 5 – Implementation and Evaluation ............................................................................................ 103 Chapter 6 – Regulatory and Conservation Framework ............................................................................. 110 GLOSSARY OF TERMS ................................................................................................................................ 134 LITERATURE CITED .................................................................................................................................... 136 List of Tables Table 1. Grizzly bear mortalities and causes in the NCDE, 1998‐2008. Table 2. Examples of the effects of different survival levels on the rate of population growth. Table 3. Example of how Demographic Standard #3 would be applied. Table 4. Land ownership within the NCDE Primary Conservation Area (PCA). Table 5. Hypothetical example of how temporary changes in OMRD, TMRD, and Secure Core would be implemented for a project. Table 6. The rule set and definitions for motorized access management on Federal lands inside the PCA Table 7. Active cattle and/or sheep grazing allotments in the NCDE PCA, December 2011 Table 8. Land ownership within NCDE Management Zone 1 Table 9. Land ownership within NCDE Management Zone 2 Table 10. Land ownership within NCDE Management Zone 3. List of Figures Figure 1. Grizzly bear management zones of the NCDE Conservation Strategy Area. Figure 2. Bear Management Units (BMUs) in the NCDE Primary Conservation Area. Figure 3. Rocky Mountain Front Mineral Withdrawal Area, Public Law 403‐132. Figure 4. Map of “Protected areas” in the NCDE PCA and Management Zones 2 NCDE Grizzly Bear Conservation Strategy April 2013 ACRONYMS USED IN THIS DOCUMENT APD – Application for Permit to Drill BE – Bitterroot Ecosystem BIA – Bureau of Indian Affairs BIR – Blackfeet Indian Reservation BLM – Bureau of Land Management BMU – Bear Management Unit BNSF – Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad CEM – Cumulative Effects Model CYE – Cabinet Yaak Ecosystem DNRC – Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation DPS – Distinct Population Segment EIS – Environmental Impact Statement FIR – Flathead Indian Reservation GIS – Geographic Information System GNP – Glacier National Park GYA – Greater Yellowstone Area HCP – Habitat Conservation Plan IGBC – Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee IRA – Inventoried Roadless Area MEPA – Montana Environmental Policy Act MOU – Memorandum of Understanding MVUM – motor vehicle use map NCASC – North Cascades Ecosystem NCDE – Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem NEPA – National Environmental Policy Act NF – National Forest NPS – National Park Service PCA – Primary Conservation Area OMRD – Open Motorized Route Density RSF – Resource Selection Function SE – Selkirk Mountains Ecosystem TMRD – Total Motorized Route Density TNC – The Nature Conservancy USFS – United States Forest Service USFWS – United States Fish and Wildlife Service USGS – United Stated Geological Survey WMA – Wildlife Management Area i NCDE Grizzly Bear Conservation Strategy April 2013 Executive Summary Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem Grizzly Bear Conservation Strategy CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND This Conservation Strategy was developed by an interagency team of managers and scientists to describe the coordinated management and monitoring efforts necessary to maintain a recovered grizzly bear population in the NCDE and document the commitment of these agencies to this shared goal. This Conservation Strategy provides a cohesive umbrella for all signatories to operate under and reference but each signatory has their own legal process and authority to implement the Strategy. This Conservation Strategy would remain in effect beyond recovery, delisting, and the five year Monitoring period required by the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The agencies are committed to be responsive to the needs of the grizzly bear through adaptive management actions based on the results of detailed annual population and habitat monitoring. The purposes of this Conservation Strategy are to: − Describe and summarize the coordinated strategies, standards, and guidelines developed for managing the grizzly bear population, grizzly bear/human conflicts, and grizzly bear habitat to ensure their continued conservation in the NCDE. − Document the regulatory mechanisms, legal authorities, policies, management documents, and monitoring programs that will maintain the recovered grizzly bear population. − Document the commitments agreed to by the participating agencies. Within the NCDE, the grizzly bear population and its habitat will be managed using an approach that identifies a Primary Conservation Area (PCA) and three additional management zones (Zone 1, Zone 2, and Zone 3: see Figure 1). The PCA is the area currently known as the NCDE Grizzly Bear Recovery Zone. This is where the most conservative habitat protections would remain, with habitat conditions that were compatible with the increasing grizzly bear population from 2004‐2011 being maintained. Grizzly bears are also expected to occupy habitat outside the PCA in Zones 1 and 2 where they may serve as a source population to other grizzly bear ecosystems in the lower 48 States. Habitat and population protections would vary by management objective in these Zones with more protections in areas identified as “Demographic Connectivity Areas.” While Management Zone 3 primarily consists of areas where grizzly bears do not have enough suitable habitat to support population growth, they were included in this Conservation Strategy because a bear living in Zone 3 most likely originated from the NCDE population. Grizzly bear occupancy will not be actively discouraged in Zone 3 and the management emphasis will be on conflict response. Relationship to Other Plans By integrating the Montana state plan into the Strategy, it was ensured that this plan and the Strategy are consistent and complementary. The state plan is formally incorporated in the Conservation Strategy as an Appendix. Relationships with national forest and national park plans are also mentioned throughout the Strategy. Our intent is to have signatories of this Conservation Strategy representing the ii NCDE Grizzly Bear Conservation Strategy April 2013 land management agencies incorporate the habitat standards and guidelines described in this Conservation Strategy into their respective management plans. CHAPTER 2 – DEMOGRAPHIC CRITERIA To maintain a healthy (recovered) grizzly bear population in the NCDE, it is necessary to have adequate numbers of bears that are well distributed with a balance between reproduction and mortality. This section details the demographic criteria necessary to maintain and enhance a recovered grizzly bear population in the NCDE. The standards and monitoring protocol focus on the Recovery Zone and the area immediately around it identified in this Conservation Strategy as the NCDE Primary Conservation Area (PCA) and Management Zone 1 (Zone 1) respectively. Because grizzly bears are a difficult species to monitor, multiple criteria are identified to provide sufficient information upon which to base management decisions. This Conservation Strategy sets an objective of maintaining a recovered grizzly bear population in the NCDE area sufficient to maintain a healthy population in biologically suitable habitats within the PCA and Zone 1. This Conservation Strategy sets both demographic goals, which may be difficult to quantify and demographic standards, which are objective and measurable criteria of population status and health. It is the goal of the agencies implementing this Conservation Strategy to maintain a genetically diverse NCDE grizzly bear population with at least 800 grizzly bears. We will achieve this goal by including specific standards to document a widely distributed population, a high adult female survival rate, and sustainable mortality limits that will not result in long‐term population decline. CHAPTER 3 – HABITAT MANAGEMENT AND MONITORING The goal of habitat management on public lands is to maintain conditions compatible with a stable to increasing grizzly bear population in the NCDE. This Conservation Strategy identifies a Primary Conservation Area (PCA) and three additional management zones (Zone 1, Zone 2, and Zone 3: see Figure 1), each with varying levels of habitat protections depending