“It’s a wonder we get any of these collars out,” says Rick Mace as he describes the difficulty of capturing female grizzly bears and fitting them with collars containing GPS (Global Positioning System) transmitters. For the past three years, the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks bear biologist has been studying grizzly population trends in Montana’s Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE), which encompasses Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness south to the Blackfoot Valley. The study requires that Mace and his crew regularly trap bears, which have to be grizzlies, not black bears. The captured bears must also be female, not male. And each animal’s neck must be large enough so the collar doesn’t slip off. “Trapping the right bear is like trying to find a needle in a haystack,” says Mace. Unfortunately, there is no other way to learn if NCDE grizzly numbers are rising, falling, or holding steady—vital information for determining the health of the grizzly population. [Full Story]
