OUTDOORS: Grizzlies near Havre? It's more and more likley

Grizzly bear sightings near Havre? Growing up in these parts, at least in my generation, the thought was laughable that, we would ever see the great bruin wandering up and down the Milk River Valley.

But, as they say, times are a changing.

In recent years, more and more grizzly bears have been making their back out onto the plains, as evidenced by multiple bears reaching the Loma and Fort Benton areas in past summers, as well as two young grizzlies making it all the way into the Lewistown area a year ago.

Yes, with grizzlies continuing to recover from their near-extinct levels of 50 years ago, more and more bears are starting to pop up in places we never thought we'd see them, and that's why Montana, Fish, Wildlife and Parks was in Havre last Thursday night.

FWP Bear Management Specialist Wesley Sarmento and Bear Management Technician Sarah Zielke gave a presentation on Plains Grizzly Bears last Thursday night at MSU-Northern - a presentation that included an updated report on the plight of Grizzly Bear Recovery in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem, the status on grizzlies moving back into the plains, as well as plenty of tips on bear safety.

The meeting surmised that, within the next five years, it could be possible to see a grizzly or two make its way into the Milk River Valley in the summertime. With the growth of the NCDE population, which Havre is considered a part of, more and more grizzlies are searching for new territories and new sources of food, especially in the summer, when they spend much of the day packing on the pounds to prepare for yet another long winter in the Rocky Mountains.

Stats given at the meeting included the NCDE population of grizzlies at more than 1,000, and growing at 2.3 percent per year. That is in stark contrast to 1975 when the Grizzly was placed on the Endangered Species List with more than 98 per of the bears rendered extinct from their natural ranges.

Grizzly Bears have a 95 percent survival rate for females, 91 percent from adult males, 64 percent from yearling cubs and 55 percent for first-year cubs. Those survival rates have grown in dramatically in recent years, which has led to legislation and debate to remove the NCDE and Yellowstone Grizzlies from federal protection.

So, there's no doubt, the grizzly population continues to grow. What that means for Havre, and communities in the Milk River Corridor, that remains to be seen, but, the fact is, the grizzly is on the move, and ranging farther and farther from it's Glacier National Park and Bob Marshall Wilderness strongholds, and, last Thursday's meeting was certainly an eye-opener, and the consensus is, in the coming summers, Hi-Line residents shouldn't be surprised if we hear about a grizzly sighting or two.