Female Grizzly moved to the Cabinet Mountains
2nd bear in two weeks relocated to Libby area mountains
by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
July 28, 2010
A 3-4 year-old female grizzly was released in the Cabinet Mountains on Sunday, July 25 as part of the program to augment the grizzly bear population in the Cabinet-Yaak ecosystem.
FWP grizzly bear managers captured the bear on July24 in the Spruce Creek area of the North Fork Flathead drainage. The capture is part of the ongoing effort to recover grizzly bears in the Cabinets. Managers fitted the bear with a special radio-collar to enable biologists to closely follow its movements.
The bear transported to Libby and was released the next morning near Silver Butte, several miles behind gated FS road 594 (a BPA power line access road). The 231-pound bear was released in a small wet basin just beneath the ridgeline that leads into the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness.
District Ranger Malcolm Edwards and trails coordinator Jon Jeresek were on hand for the release, along with and two Silver Butte Creek residents.
According to Kim Annis, FWP Bear Management Specialist in the Libby area, the young female grizzly was a good candidate for the augmentation project. This is the second relocation of a North Fork grizzly to the Cabinets in the last 10 days. A young male grizzly captured in the North Fork was relocated to the Cabinet-Yaak ecosystem on July 19. Annis said that this was the second and last relocation of grizzlies into the Cabinets for the year.
Contact: Kim Annis, FWP, Libby, 293-4161x207.
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