Two Grizzly Bears moved into Cabinet Mountains
To help recover population and improve genetic diversity
by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
August 1, 2019
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and its partners moved two grizzly bears into the Cabinet-Yaak Ecosystem in Lincoln County as part of an augmentation program designed to recover the bear population and improve its genetic diversity.
FWP, in collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, captured the bears in the Whitefish Range. The first bear, a sub-adult female weighing 94 pounds, was released July 13 in the Spar Lake area on the Kootenai National Forest south of Troy. The second bear, a sub-adult male weighing 194 pounds, was released July 16 in the same area.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service leads the research and monitoring in the ecosystem in collaboration with FWP, Idaho Fish and Game, Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, Idaho Panhandle National Forest, Kootenai National Forest, and Lolo National Forest.
The Cabinet-Yaak Augmentation Program began in 1990 in an effort to save the population and boost genetic diversity. In 1988, biologists estimated fewer than 15 grizzly bears remained in the Cabinet-Yaak. The primary objectives of the program are to bolster reproduction through the addition of female bears, and overall genetic diversity through the addition of female and male bears. Twenty-two bears have now been added in the Cabinet Mountains since the program’s inception.
All bears moved through the augmentation program have no history of conflicts with people and were moved in the summer to take advantage of developing food supplies in the form of huckleberries. Initial augmentation consisted of females but in recent years males have also been added.
The current population of grizzly bears in the Cabinet-Yaak is estimated at 55-60 individuals with approximately half of these in the Cabinet Mountains and half in the Yaak River area. The population is growing at approximately 1-2 percent per year.
The Cabinet-Yaak Ecosystem, one of six designated recovery zones for grizzly bears in the lower 48 states, is located in northwest Montana and northeast Idaho. Blocks of contiguous habitat extend into British Columbia, making this an international population. The recovery zone includes portions of the Kootenai, Idaho Panhandle, and Lolo National Forests (including one wilderness area). The Kootenai River bisects the ecosystem, with the Cabinet Mountains to the south and the Yaak River drainage to the north.
For FWP’s latest grizzly bear management report on the Cabinet-Yaak Ecosystem, visit fwp.mt.gov/regions/r1 and select under "Region 1 Wildlife Information."
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