Response of Yellowstone grizzly bears to changes in food resources:  A synthesis.  Final report to the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee and Yellowstone Ecosystem Subcommittee

Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team; Frank T. van Manen; Cecily M. Costello; Mark A. Haroldson; Daniel D. Bjornlie; Michael R. Ebinger; Kerry A. Gunther; Mary Frances Mahalovich; Daniel J. Thompson; Megan D. Higgs; Kathryn M. Irvine; Kristin Legg; Daniel B. Tyers; Lisa Landenburger; Steven L. Cain; Kevin L. Frey; Bryan C. Aber; Charles C. Schwartz

Response of Yellowstone grizzly bears to changes in food resources: A synthesis. Final report to the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee and Yellowstone Ecosystem Subcommittee

By: Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team, Frank T. van Manen, Cecily M. Costello, Mark A. Haroldson, Daniel D. Bjornlie, Michael R. Ebinger, Kerry A. Gunther, Mary Frances Mahalovich, Daniel J. Thompson, Megan D. Higgs, Kathryn M. Irvine, Kristin Legg, Daniel B. Tyers, Lisa Landenburger, Steven L. Cain, Kevin L. Frey, Bryan C. Aber, and Charles C. Schwartz

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Document: Report (1.54 MB pdf)
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Abstract

The Yellowstone grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) was listed as a threatened species in 1975 (Federal Register 40 FR:31734-31736). Since listing, recovery efforts have focused on increasing population size, improving habitat security, managing bear mortalities, and reducing bear-human conflicts. The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC; partnership of federal and state agencies responsible for grizzly bear recovery in the lower 48 states) and its Yellowstone Ecosystem Subcommitte (YES; federal, state, county, and tribal partners charged with recovery of grizzly bears in the Greater Yelowston Ecosystem [GYE]) tasked the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team to provide information and further research relevant to three concerns arising from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals November 2011 decision: 1) the ability of grizzly bears as omnivores to find alternative foods to whitebark pine seeds; 2) literature to support their conclusions; and 3) the non-intuitive biological reality that impacts can occur to individuals without causing the overall population to decline. Specifically, the IGBC and YES requested a comprehensive synthesis of the current state of knowledge regarding whitebark pinbe decline and individual and population-level responses of grizzly bears to changing food resources in the GYE. This research was particularly relevant to grizzly bear conservation given changes in the population trajectory observed during the last decade.

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Additional publication details
Publication type	Report
Publication Subtype	Other Government Series
Title	Response of Yellowstone grizzly bears to changes in food resources: A synthesis. Final report to the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee and Yellowstone Ecosystem Subcommittee
Year Published	2013
Language	English
Publisher	U.S. Geological Survey
Publisher location	Reston, VA
Contributing office(s)	Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center
Description	iii, 54 p.
Country	United States
State	Idaho, Montana, Wyoming
Other Geospatial	Yellowstone National Park
Online Only (Y/N)	N
Additional Online Files (Y/N)	N
Google Analytic Metrics	Metrics page