GREATER YELLOWSTONE ECOSYSTEM
Grizzly bear enthusiasts and ranchers in the Madison Valley share a common goal – preserving the expansive landscape necessary for both grizzlies and ranchers to thrive.
Grizzlies are continuing to spread from the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, a fact recognized years ago by the Madison Valley Ranchlands Group. A sub-adult grizzly was recently captured on a game camera in the Tobacco Roots west of McAllister.
Now, the ranchlands group is hoping that funding aimed at reducing grizzly conflicts will enhance existing efforts to promote coexistence with the bears.
This funding could support the installation of electrified mats across gate openings to deter grizzly movement into conflict areas, as well as the deployment of five-wire electric fences, funding for range riders, and the transport of cattle and calf carcasses to composting facilities.
People are also reading…
For a period, the Madison Valley Ranchlands Group supported a range rider program to monitor livestock herds and predators, including grizzlies and wolves. This initiative could be reinstated.
John Crumley, president of the ranchlands group, noted that the range rider program was highly successful.
The objective is to achieve coexistence among cattle producers and other landowners in the Madison Valley with carnivores.
Linda Owens, project director for the Madison Valley Ranchlands Group, emphasized that avoiding conflicts with grizzlies benefits both the bears and the ranchers, who she described as integral to the landscape of the Madison Valley, especially as development pressures increase.
The U.S. Department of the Interior and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation have granted nearly $5 million to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks to support efforts by Montana agricultural producers to prevent conflicts with grizzly bears.
An additional $6 million to $7 million will be allocated to Montana through a grant from the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program to the Heart of the Rockies Initiative, a nonprofit based in Missoula.
The Madison Valley Ranchlands Group will receive a portion of this funding, as will other collaborative groups led by landowners working to mitigate conflicts between wildlife and livestock.
On Tuesday morning, the Heart of the Rockies Initiative and the ranchlands group, with support from EcoFlight, hosted an event at the Ennis-Big Sky Airport to raise awareness about non-lethal strategies to reduce conflicts in the region.
EcoFlight pilot Gary Kraft provided two flights over the Madison Valley, offering scenic views from 7,500 feet of various landmarks and communities along the flight path.
Levi Chandler, manager of the Valley Garden Ranch near McAllister, shared insights during the first flight, noting that the ranch has faced more challenges with wolves than bears.
Grizzly bears possess an impressive sense of smell that far surpasses that of humans and bloodhounds, making them highly sensitive to odors like dead livestock.
The Madison Valley Ranchlands Group handles carcass removal and operates a carcass compost program.
Other landowner-led groups in Montana, such as the Blackfoot Challenge and the Big Hole Watershed Committee, have implemented measures to reduce conflicts with grizzly bears.
Jamie Jonkel, a bear management specialist with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, has collaborated with various organizations to minimize conflicts with bears in the Blackfoot River Watershed.
Jonkel explained that electrified mats and fences have proven effective in deterring bears, with ongoing innovation aimed at developing additional non-lethal methods for bear management.
The Blackfoot Challenge has been at the forefront of collaborative efforts in Montana to address landscape challenges at a larger scale.
Owens mentioned that the Madison Valley Ranchlands Group, with around 300 members, is committed to promoting coexistence, regardless of the status of grizzly bears under the Endangered Species Act.
She emphasized the importance of public support in preserving these wildlife species on the landscape.
