Bear DNA left behind on barbed wire provides critical data.
Photo provided by Jason Wilmoth
The DNA is used to identify dif- ferent bears, whether populations are genetically isolated, how many breeding females are in the area, etc. The camera footage helps corrobo- rate this critical data. Throughout the day we visited lo- cations that were in one manner very surprising in that they were along- side trails that I have repeatedly hiked to very well-known destina- tions in the Pack River drainage. The corral we visited was the most unex- pected. We parked in a pullout where I have repeatedly camped when vis- iting the very spot where I believe I saw a grizzly years ago with Chris. I was asked not to take photos of what was found on the game camera at this particular site, but I can con- firm that grizzlies are in the Selkirks. >> Endangered species In 1975, Grizzly Bears were list-
ed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. Six ecosys- tems were named under the Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan, where pop- ulation and health studies would be conducted. Two of those areas stretch into North Idaho. The Cab- inet-Yaak Ecosystem and the Sel- kirk Ecosystem. The Selkirk Ecosystem, with an area of about 2,539 square miles ranges from Nelson BC, and south to the Pack River Drainage, and west into Northeast Washington. In 2012, there were an estimated 83 bears in this ecosystem. In compar- ison, the Greater Yellowstone Eco- system, with an area of about 9,209 square miles, had an estimated 965 bears in 2022. In 2023, when I began to take in- terest in grizzly bears, there was a lot of discussion regarding grizzlies
being removed from the Endangered Species List. There were a lot of opin- ions on both sides of the argument. I asked Wayne Kasworm what the real potential for removal from the list was. What he told me, and what I had not gathered from my research, was that only one ecosystem was even being considered for removal from the list. That one is the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, which con- tinues to do very well regarding bear recovery efforts. In the Selkirk and Cabinet-Yaak ecosystem, recovery efforts will continue. >> Staying safe While the research indicates that the populations in these ecosystems are still recovering, there is always a chance that you will encounter a grizzly bear while adventuring in the many mountains North Idaho has to offer. There are things you can do
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