Grizzly Population Increasing at Yellowstone

WEST YELLOWSTONE Mont., Aug. 12, 2005 — -- At Yellowstone National Park, word that grizzly bears are no longer considered endangered was hailed as a victory -- especially at a grizzly research center near the park, where visitors learn about the animals.

"It' a reason to celebrate!" said John Heine, director of the West Yellowstone Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center. "We were all worried years ago when they were put on the list that maybe we weren't going to have bears around."

Nearly 200 years ago, 50,000 grizzlies roamed the land from Alaska to Mexico and California to Ohio. But the symbols of the American wilderness were hunted, trapped and poisoned to near extinction.

When grizzlies received endangered species protection in 1975, their numbers had dwindled to about 200. Today, more than 500 of the bears live in and around Yellowstone.

They are sometimes spotted outside the park, in neighboring communities such as Cooke City, Mont.

"They come to town here, and it's a good attraction for our tourists," said local merchant Marty Sage. "They love to see grizzly bears."

But as more people venture into the backcountry, and as homes and ranches push into grizzly habitat, encounters with the bears occur more often.

"We've had some close calls, certainly," said ranch manager Mark Waite. "We've had some employees up in trees getting away from bears."

For 30 years, the law has prohibited people from hunting grizzlies. Now three states surrounding Yellowstone -- which will take over management of the bears outside the park -- will likely change the policy to help control the bear population.

"I can envision both Wyoming and Montana and possibly Idaho offering hunting permits for grizzly bears," said Pat Flowers, a supervisor for the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks.