FWP launches bear relocation dashboard

Micah Drew

(Daily Montanan) Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks last week launched its third interactive dashboard providing greater public insight into the department’s bear management programs.

The new bear relocation dashboard shows general locations where FWP has relocated black and grizzly bears, making members of the public and landowners more aware of where and when bears are transplanted throughout the state.

While the department has listed relocation information on its website in teh past, the new interactive map becomes an easier-to-digest resource for communities, FWP noted in a press release.

“These tools are useful for the public to understand what’s happening with bears around the state,” FWP Director Christy Clark said in the release. “The expansion of grizzly bears both in numbers and in distribution has a real impact on the lives of Montanans across bear country. Keeping people informed about what FWP is doing with bears continues to be a top priority for me.”

FWP is required by law to inform the county and tribal government within 24 hours of which the grizzly bear or black bear is to be relocated. Grizzly bears can only be relocated by FWP to sites approved by the Fish and Wildlife Commission. Under state law, grizzly bears that cause conflicts outside of designated recovery zones cannot be relocated by FWP staff. The dashboard only reflects bears relocated by FWP.

According to the dashboard, as of July 31, 14 bears — six grizzlies and eight black bears — have been relocated within Montana this year.

This is the third dashboard FWP has launched in the last year to bolster public insight into the departments bear management actions.

Last fall, FWP announced its grizzly mortality dashboard in an effort to increase transparency, educate Montanans on why grizzlies are killed or die when they are currently federally protected, and to show that the state’s management strategy indicates its ready to manage grizzly bears in portions of the state on its own.

The state has long pushed for grizzlies to be delisted from the Endangered Species List, and legislation to do so is pending before Congress.

Earlier this summer, FWP developed and launched a grizzly bear conflict dashboard to highlight where and when people and bears interact in negative ways.

The Relocation Dashboard provides general locations for areas where FWP staff have relocated bears. Details of each location can be found by clicking on “Table” at the top of the dashboard, according to FWP.

For more information on grizzly and black bear conflict prevention and management, FWP has many web-based resources for communities, landowners and recreationists.