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Show Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues, May 24-27, 2014 Continued From C-8 Irene the bear gave biweekly updates on her whereabouts on a local radio show. Then, in 1995, Irene slipped her collar. She was gone, the augmentation in jeopardy. For several years, scientists tried in vain to recapture Irene and two other introduced bears. Were they still alive? Had they wandered away, or stayed to reproduce? Nobody knew - until 2004, when a barbedwire snare snagged a clump of hair that DNA analysis identified as Irene's. She was alive, and as later hair-snares revealed, had borne nine cubs. Her cubs in turn gave birth to eight more. By 2012, Kasworm had identified 35 individual bears; 20 were Irene's descendants or mates. Almost singlehandedly, she'd rescued the Cabinet population. Encouraged by Irene's success, and with the community's cautious blessing, Kasworm and the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department began relocating more bears, about one a year. They've now introduced 15 grizzlies altogether, most recently a 3-year-old male in 2013. Augmentation only works, however, if the bears survive. The Cabinet-Yaak is just a fraction the size of the recovery zones centered around Yellowstone and Glacier, and though its human inhabitants are few in number, the ecosystem has been fractured by nearly 4,000 miles of open roads and scattered pockets of logging and mining. That fragmentation makes fatal conflicts with wideranging bears almost inevitable. Grizzlies have been slaughtered by poachers, hit by trains, and shot legally by people who felt threatened. Still more have been mistakenly slain by black bear hunters, or euthanized after developing a taste for human food. Altogether, at least 48 CabinetYaak grizzlies have been killed by humans since 1982, about three times as many as have died from natural causes. In other words, the CabinetYaak is losing bears as fast as it's gaining them. "The main reason our population hasn't grown much in the last 10 years is human-caused mortality," says Kim Annis, bear management specialist at the Montana wildlife agency. That mortality, combined with the population's narrow gene pool - granddaughters have bred with their own grandfathers - means augmentation won't cease anytime soon. Though Kasworm predicts that "there will come a point when we can let this population go its own way," he adds, "Right now, I can't tell you when that point will be." The vague timetable frustrates some locals, who are ready for the recovery process, and resulting road restrictions, to be over. "We need to have a frank discussion about what success looks like," Vincent says. "Living with bears is part of the romance of calling this place home. But it's hard for people to accept the management regime." In a 2008 survey, over 70 percent of locals believed bears should be conserved, but less than half supported the federal goal of 100 grizzlies. The bears are hardly the sole point at issue: Volatile lumber markets have shuttered sawmills, and road closures have as much to do with maintenance costs as bears. Environmental groups also frustrate locals, especially the Helena-based Alliance for the Wild Rockies, which often comments on and challenges timber sales that threaten grizzly habitat. Between 2006 and 2008, it filed more lawsuits against the U.S. Forest Service than any other group did during that time - 42 altogether. "The science shows that most grizzlies are killed near roads," explains Executive Director Mike Garrity, who estimates the organization wins 85 percent of its lawsuits and appeals. "You can't keep bringing in bears without protecting their habitat." Kasworm, who fears the lawsuits are eroding local support for grizzlies, has supported timber projects that he thinks wouldn't harm bears. Some, he says, could even benefit the animals by clear- C-9 The Park Record ing space for huckleberries, a primary food source. "No bears are dying for lack of huckleberries," retorts Garrity. "The limiting factor for grizzlies is secure habitat." Ultimately, the most serious problem might be isolation. The Cabinets' bears are cut off from populations that could grow their numbers and diversify their genetic pool. Although bears occasionally wander over from the Selkirk Mountains, the Whitefish Range and Canada, those nomads haven't reproduced. Increasing the exchange of bears between ecosystems, says Chris Servheen, grizzly recovery coordinator for Fish and Wildlife, will help restore the health and resilience of bears throughout the Rockies. "This was all part of their continuous range," he says. "Grizzlies shrank into these small units because of human impacts." The Cabinet-Yaak population might be small, but its central location between Glacier, the Selkirks, and Canada makes it an important piece in the bigger bear puzzle. Ryan Lutey, director of lands at Vital Ground, a nonprofit that seeks to connect grizzly populations through strategic land acquisitions, dreams of a day when the region is capable of supplying bears to other ecosystems - especially the Bitterroot, a 5,600 square-mile recovery zone 120 miles south. Although the designated wilderness at its core makes it prime habitat, the Bitterroot has no grizzlies, in part because a planned relocation program fell victim to anti-bear politics in 2001. For now, simply surviving is challenge enough for the Cabinet-Yaak's bears. One casualty occurred in November 2009, when an elk hunter shot an old female he claimed was threatening him. When Kasworm examined the corpse, he noticed small holes in its ears, where tags had once hung. This was one of his bears, and though he hadn't seen her in 16 years, he suspected he knew which one. DNA analysis confirmed it: Irene was dead. Rather than mourn her death, though, Kasworm chose to celebrate Irene's extraordinary life. "She contributed so much," he says. "I don't know where this population would be without her." VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY SUMMIT COUNTY WEED CONTROL BOARD The Summit County Manager is seeking individuals to fill four vacancies on the Summit County Weed Control Board. Interested citizens shall have an awareness and knowledge of weeds, and a willingness to help with an action program. The Board is responsible for the formulation and implementation of a countywide coordinated noxious weed control program designed to prevent and control noxious weeds within the county. The Board meets quarterly, or as needed. Letters of interest including a brief resume may be sent to the County Manager, Attention: Annette Singleton at P.O. Box 128, Coalville, UT 84017 or email to asingleton@summitcounty.org. For further information contact Jack Marchant at (435) 336-3979. Deadline for applications is 5:00 p.m., Wednesday, May 28, 2014. You set the scene: Submit event recaps, photos and news about local clubs/groups/nonprofits to arts@parkrecord.com. N CE E Park City's oldest most consistent collision center Est. 1978. CKM Collision at Quinn's Junction "Physics Behind Collision Repair" Receive 5% off auto repairs exp. 06/01/14 Jon Brady Office Manager Chad Knaras 3844 North Old Highway 40 Park City | Utah | 84098 Owner 435.649.9802 ckmcollision.com |
