Grizzly bears and bull trout will lose much of what they gained from decades of protection in the Flathead National Forest if a new management plan gets OK’d, wildlife advocates
ROB CHANEY
Rampaging recreation trends, new restrictions from the Legislature and unresolved social direction beset Northern Continental Divide grizzlies this summer.
âThe crush of humanity that showed up last year will be back,â Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Region 1 Supervisor Jim Williams said of the coming summer tourist season.
âA lot of these folks have never lived with an elk before, let alone a bear. And the demand to provide all sorts of crazy opportunities on the forest is just going to grow.â
On Friday, Williams addressed a committee of grizzly managers who oversee the approximately 1,000 bears inhabiting the mountains from Glacier National Park south to Missoula, including the Flathead and Blackfeet Indian reservations. Thatâs one of the most successful of six grizzly recovery ecosystems in the Northwest.