Conflict & Data
Grizzly Bears are a threatened species protected under the Endangered Species Act. At their peak, grizzly bears numbered over 50,000 in the lower 48 states. Today there are fewer than two thousand across six protected management areas in the Northern Rocky Mountains. Grizzly Bear management is lead by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IBGC) composed of federal and state agencies in the region. Wyoming is home to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) Recovery Zone. Grizzly Bears in Wyoming have recovered to numbers greater than 700 where as few as 136 bears remained in 1975. As recovery continues, the states of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho are advocating for the delisting of grizzly bears and the return of control of their populations to the states even though states have proven they are not capable of properly managing these species. Grizzly Bears were delisted in 2017, but a federal judge in Montana restored the protection in 2018.
Many issues exist for the recovery of grizzly bears in the GYE. Especially concerning are conflicts with livestock and hunters. Livestock conflicts are prominent due to the expanding range of grizzly bears as they search for additional food sources. Cattle and sheep grazing on public lands largely unattended has led to great number of conflicts with livestock and a large number of mortalities for this recovering species. Better methods of livestock management and preventative deterrents are needed for the species and ranchers to thrive on the same landscapes. Hunter conflict is also prominent, and there is a lack of transparency related to these conflicts and many hunters refusing to carry bear spray.
This website is designed to outline the conflicts between grizzly bears and humans across the GYE Recovery Zone in hopes of finding better ways to manage these populations by identifying locations of high conflict and mortality. We believe this information should be public and easily accessible as these animals are important not only to the GYE but also to the economic health of the state of Wyoming. We have created maps and done some analyses for the years since 2015, viewing them as the most relevant for modern grizzly bear management. This website will continue to be supported and updated each year following the release of yearly grizzly bear conflict and mortality reports. (Last updated 5/2021)
Grizzly Bear Conflict 2019
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Conflict in 2019 was down from 2018 and continues to be significantly lower than that of 2015. 2019 had lowest grizzly bear mortalities of any year since 2015. Conflict trends remain similar to previous years with the greatest number being connected to livestock and landowners followed by front country conflicts. Back country conflict numbers are limited as discussed below.
Grizzly Bear conflicts reported for the 2019 calendar year should be viewed as a minimum number of conflicts. Due to lack of accessibility to all conflicts after grizzly bears were relisted in 2018, there are few reported for the backcountry this year. This is unlikely looking at the trends of reported conflicts from previous years. Missing data makes a full understanding of the conflict from this year difficult and imprecise.
The range of locations for conflict in 2019 was smaller than any other year, although the locations all have higher concentrations of conflict. Park and Sublette Counties each had two high conflict areas while Hot Springs and Teton Counties each had one. Fremont and Park Counties had most conflicts along regional highways. Sublette and Hot Springs Counties have had little variation of conflict areas over the last 5 years representing areas of chronic issue. Conflict in Teton County around Jackson increased for the second straight year.
Data for Grizzly Bear Conflict in 2019 came from two sources. The USGS mortality report and the Wyoming Game and Fish Job Completion Report (WGF JCR). The polygons on the interactive map are made based off of conflict areas shown in the WGF JCR. These polygons represent general areas of conflict, but may not contain the actual locations. The heat map for the number of conflicts in each polygon is estimated from the WFG JCR. These are not exact numbers and should be seen as estimates for number of conflicts in a given area.