Grizzly Bear Research Trapping Continues this Fall in Grand Teton National Park

The Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team will resume research trapping operations for grizzly bears within Grand Teton National Park beginning Tuesday, September 8 through October 19, 2015. Scientific research and trapping operations at Grand Teton have been underway since this spring as part of ongoing efforts required under the Endangered Species Act to collect data and monitor the population of grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

Monitoring of grizzly bear distribution, as well as their food selection and other activities, is vital to recovery of grizzlies across the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Trained professionals with the interagency team trap grizzly bears at remote sites across Grand Teton. The trapping and handling of grizzly bears is done in accordance with strict protocols developed by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team.

Trap sites are not located near established hiking trails or backcountry campsites, and all sites are posted with bright-colored warning signs around the closure perimeter. Potential access points are also posted with warning signs. Any backcountry users who venture upon such posted areas must obey the warnings and stay out of the closure area.

It is critical that all members of the public respect these warning signs.

The Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team was established in 1973 to research and monitor bears across theGreater Yellowstone Ecosystem in a collaborative effort between federal land managers and state wildlife agencies. Gathering of critical data on these protected bears is part of a long-term research effort to help wildlife managers devise and implement programs to support the ongoing recovery of the grizzly bear population in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

The Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team is composed of representatives of the U.S. Geological Survey, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribal Fish and Game Department, and the states of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.

For more information about the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team or grizzly bear trapping, visit http://nrmsc.usgs.gov/research/igbst-home.htm or call 406.994.6675.



Jeff
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