Performing Department
College of Forestry and Conservation
Non Technical Summary
The Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan (US Fish and Wildlife Service 1993) specifies thresholds that need to be reached before the grizzly bear population in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE) can be considered recovered. However, little information exists on population status for the majority of the NCDE. And while there have been intensive management efforts across most of the NCDE and several large-scale research projects, no single data repository exists in the NCDE. Instead, the numerous federal, state, and tribal agencies involved with bear management each has its own system for recording and managing data that often is incompatible with other agencies. One way to maximize the accuracy and usefulness of data relating to the research and management of this threatened population is to standardize and centralize its collection. Data include records of capture, relocation, mortality, biological samples, and various analyses of those samples. Standardizing what data are collected and housing everything in a single database will allow managers to query records across agencies, and will allow supervision of data quality that will ultimately aid in monitoring recovery efforts.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan (US Fish and Wildlife Service 1993) specifies thresholds that need to be reached before the grizzly bear population in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE) can be considered recovered. However, little information exists on population status for the majority of the NCDE. And while there have been intensive management efforts across most of the NCDE and several large-scale research projects, no single data repository exists in the NCDE. Instead, the numerous federal, state, and tribal agencies involved with bear management each has its own system for recording and managing data that often is incompatible with other agencies. One way to maximize the accuracy and usefulness of data relating to the research and management of this threatened population is to standardize and centralize its collection. Data include records of capture, relocation, mortality, biological samples, and various analyses of those samples. Standardizing what data are collected and housing everything in a single database will allow managers to query records across agencies, and will allow supervision of data quality that will ultimately aid in monitoring recovery efforts. Study Area: The Northern Continental Divide Grizzly Bear Ecosystem covers approximately 6 million acres in northwestern Montana. From the Canadian border on the northern boundary, the study area extends south to Hwy 200. It includes Glacier National Park, parts of five national forests (Flathead, Helena, Kootenai, Lewis & Clark, and Lolo), parts of the Blackfeet and Flathead Indian Reservations, and significant amounts of state and private land. Within the national forest lands are five Wilderness areas (Bob Marshall, Mission Mountains, Great Bear, Rattlesnake, and Scapegoat) and one wilderness study area (Deep Creek North). Roadless lands managed as wilderness comprise approximately 2/3 of the NCDE. Grizzly bears are distributed well beyond the recovery zone boundary. There appears to be continuous low-density distribution of grizzlies between the northwestern corner of the NCDE and the eastern edge of the Cabinet-Yaak Ecosystem. Hwy 93 forms the western boundary in this quadrant of the study area.
Project Methods
The University of Montana and the U.S. Geological Survey will cooperate through the CESU to develop and maintain the first comprehensive database for grizzly bears in the NCDE of northwestern Montana. This relational database will be created in Microsoft Access, and will include integrated error-checking queries, data entry forms, and automatically generated reports. The database will be accessible, via the database manager, to all participating agencies. It will be housed in a secure facility, password protected, with regular back-ups. The database manager will coordinate with grizzly bear researchers and managers from across the NCDE and adjacent populations to gather data and biological samples in a timely manner. Data will be entered and samples will be cataloged and archived until such time that they can be delivered to the appropriate laboratory. All data will be error-checked, with the database manager working with partner agencies to remedy any errors. To assist managers in collecting accurate data, standardized forms will be developed in conjunction with representatives from each agency. Collection materials (e.g. envelopes for hair samples) will be manufactured and distributed to managers. Collection materials and forms will be compatible with the comprehensive database, facilitating easy interpretation by all partners. Cooperators: This project is a large cooperative effort involving many entities. Principal partners include: the University of Montana, U.S. Geological Survey; National Park Service; U.S. Forest Service; U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service; Bureau of Land Management; Montana Department of Natural Resources & Conservation; Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, & Parks; Blackfeet Nation; and the Confederated Salish-Kootenai Tribes