Glacier starting bear monitoring

Glacier National Park is participating in an interagency effort led by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Park to monitor grizzly bear population trends in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem using bait stations, automated cameras, and traps to capture and monitor grizzly bears inside the park.

The park attempts to maintain a sample of up to 10 radio-marked female grizzly bears of an estimated population of 300 grizzly bears living in the park. Trapping efforts will continue at various locations throughout Glacier National Park May-October.

Bait stations and trap sites will be marked with brightly colored warning signs. Visitors are urged to heed these signs and not enter areas closed for baiting or trapping.

In 2010, a man was killed by a grizzly east of Yellowstone National Park after he wandered into a capture site. The warning signs are for visitors’ protection to avoid dangerous human-bear interactions.