SCI Foundation reports on science-based bear management

Keeping bear populations under control is a focus of many state wildlife agencies. The Safari Club International Foundation (SCIF) recently determined a bear conservation strategy that is grounded in science-based management for bear populations in North America, according to Safari Magazine. 

These populations include brown bears in Alaska, grizzly bears in Alberta and British Columbia and black bears across the United States. Sustainable bear population management is comprised of two primary components:

• Providing scientific data to inform management decisions.
• Assisting states and provinces with human-bear conflicts as bear populations expand and human activity overlaps.

SCIF’s bear management strategy is already in practice. For example, SCIF is currently working with the Montana Outdoor Legacy Foundation on minimizing and mitigating grizzly bear conflicts with regard to livestock on the Montana front range. This means using electric fencing, bear-proofing grain bins and trying to reduce livestock depredation as well as education and outreach to inform the community on how to coexist with bears, according to Safari Magazine.

Other bear management projects include a partnership with the CampFire Conservation Fund, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Shoshone National Forest and the American Bear Foundation to conduct bear spray trainings and giveaways as well as a partnership with the Wyoming Outfitters and Guides Association via a grant from the Wyoming Community Foundation Memorial Bear Fund to purchase bear-proof food storage boxes for the Shoshone National Forest. Additionally, SCIF is working with the Government of Yukon Department of Environment and the Yukon Outfitters Association to collect a province-wide population and density estimate on the Klondike Plateau.