Northern Divide Grizzly Bear Project

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR:

Katherine C. Kendall, USGS   Glacier Field Station, Glacier National Park, West Glacier, MT 59936-0128
Email: kkendall@usgs.gov

Northern Divide Grizzly Bear Project logo

Abstract:

The Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE) in northwest Montana is one of the last strongholds of the grizzly bear in the lower 48 states. Of the six established grizzly bear recovery zones, the NCDE is the third largest in area, potentially harboring the greatest number of grizzly bears, and is the only zone contiguous to a strong Canadian population. For these reasons it may have the best prospect of long-term survival for this threatened species. However, little information exists about the bears in this region and as agencies strive to recover the threatened grizzly bear, it is clear that there is a need to assess the grizzly bear population in the NCDE.

Managers and biologists are working to identify population size, trend, survival, and the corridors that link separate populations. Advances in genetic technology allow us to address these parameters through the identification of species, sex, and individuals from DNA extracted from bear hair without ever handling a bear. This project will apply these techniques in conjunction with statistical models to estimate the number of grizzly bears inhabiting the NCDE.  DNA will be analyzed from bear hair collected along survey routes and from systematically positioned hair snag stations. Grizzly bears identified from hair samples will be used in a mark recapture model to estimate the population of bears in the NCDE and will provide an independent calibration of the population index developed from survey routes. This information will be used to address future bear conservation issues. Click here for Project Objectives.



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