The Bitterroot Bear Resource Committee will host apresentation on the history of grizzly bears in the Bitterroot Valley this Thursday.
A presentation titled "The History of Bears in the Bitterroot Then and Now" will be led by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks wildlife historian and bear biologist James Jonkel on Thursday, May 8, from 6-8 p.m. at the Mary Stuart Rogers Performing Arts Center in Victor.
“It correlates nicely with May 1, which is the magic day for a lot of bears, black bears and grizzlies, to show up in the lower elevations,” Jonkel told the Ravalli Republic. “This is gonna be good solid information so people don’t have to listen to the rumor mill; they’re getting the facts right from us.”
Although the informational talk is entitled “The History of Bears,” Jonkel said that it would mainly home in on the valley’s storied relationship with grizzly bears.
“It’s titled the history of bears, but it’s actually the history of grizzly bears in the Bitterroot Valley,” Jonkel said. “If I tried to tackle black bears too, it would be a seven hour presentation. So it’s basically a history of grizzly bear activity and present activity in the Bitterroot Valley.”
The presentation will span the entire history of the Bitterroot Valley’s grizzly bear population as well as examine their presence today. Jonkel said it will “give people a good understanding of where grizzlies lived in the old days.”
“I’m gonna talk about early Native Americans, when Europeans first arrived, mountain men, the Jesuits coming in and homesteaders coming in,” Jonkel said.
In addition to reviewing the grizzly experience in the valley, Jonkel said he would also cover the population’s current struggles with expansion and the difficulty of breaching U.S. Interstate 90. The presentation will review specific examples of grizzly bears that have relocated to the valley.
“The Bitterroot is right on the peripheral edge of expansion, so we’ve got a handful of grizzlies that have shown up in the Bitterroot Valley,” Jonkel explained. “It’s extremely difficult for them to get across Interstate 90, but in the last 15 years or so we’ve had a handful of anecdotal grizzlies showing up. We’ll talk about each one of those bears and how they got to the Bitterroot.”
Grizzly bears are currently seeping into the Bitterroot Valley from a few different regions, Jonkel explained. Jonkel said that a majority of the grizzly bears migrating to the Ravalli County area come from around Ovando and Helmville, while other grizzlies have been spotted traveling up from Yellowstone and down from the Northern Bitterroot Mountains.
“They’re coming from three directions basically,” Jonkel said.
In addition to Jonkel, Bitterroot Fish, Wildlife and Parks Wildlife Management Specialist Brendan Davis will be presenting at Thursday’s meeting and highlighting the importance of bear activity awareness. While the event won’t focus too much on bear safety practices, Jonkel and Davis will inform attendees on today’s population and why it’s important to track them.
“We’ll talk about how useful it is for the public to let us know when they see grizzly bear activity,” Jonkel said. “We’re also asking for assistance from the public in reporting grizzly bear activity so we can keep a handle on how many grizzly bears are showing up through time.”
The May 8 presentation will also include information about bear attractants and electric fencing. More info is available on the Bitterroot Bear Resource Committee website.
