Grizzly Bears-- Christyna Bruzzone

Grizzly Bear 

Ursus arctos horribilis

Christyna Bruzzone Bio 227

https://www.quora.com/topic/Grizzly-Bears

http://www.hww.ca/en/wildlife/mammals/black-bear.html?referrer=http

Description 

Grizzly Bears are distinguished by their curved claws, humped shoulders, and conceived face. They are usually larger than black bears and when on hind legs stand at eight feet. Their coats range in color from light brown to black due to climate, weather, season, and nutrition. Their muscle structure is made for strength and speed. Males can weigh 400-600 pounds and females 250-350 pounds. When standing on their hind legs, they can stand at a height of eight feet. Grizzly bears have been recorded to live 40 years old in the wilderness and 47 in captivity. 

https://sites.google.com/site/vhs2015environmentalscience/
biodiversity/food-chains-and-food-webs

Ecology

Grizzly Bears are at the top of the food chain as top predators and/or quaternary consumers. They are omnivores who eat both plants and animals. Their diet would consume of berries, insects, squirrels, deer, fish, and small rodents. They are predators to deer, geese, fish, and small rodents. Grizzly bears are a K-selected species with low reproductive rates, slow maturation, and stay fairly close to their original habitat. 

Geographic & Population Changes

https://www.registrelep-sararegistry.gc.ca/default.asp?lang=En&n=8D03FF1B-1

Worldwide, they were numerous in Russia but population declined tremendously due to hunting. There was once a North African subspecies but it has been extinct for centuries. They were also abundant in Yugoslavia and Romania. In the United States, they were once abundant on the west coast and throughout Canada. From 1800-1975, the grizzly bear population declined from 50,00 to 1,000. They were eliminated in Texas (1890), California (1922), Utah (1923), Oregon (1931), New Mexico (1933), and Arizona (1935). They also have six recover zones including Yellowstone, Northern Continental Divide, Cabinet-Yaak, Selkirk, North Cascades, and Bitterroot. Each of these recover zones have increased in population since they were designated.

https://www.counterpunch.org/2016/12/05/3-is-not-enough-towards-restoring-grizzly-bears/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-0kHihLhWM

Listing Date & Type of Listing
Grizzly bears were listed on July 28, 1975 as threatened and the original plan was approved January 28, 1982.


Cause of Listing & Continued Threats

http://www.sfu.ca/geog351fall03/groups-webpages/gp4/Grizzly/temp3.html

The reason for the listing of grizzly bears was due to rapid population decline. The population decline was caused by westward expansion and killing by humans. Grizzly bears are also K-selected species with low reproductive rates. This expansion also caused depletion, destruction, and degradation of grizzly bear habitats. Humans are responsible for six categories of threats towards bears including: direct confrontations, attraction to human food, careless livestock disposal, livestock prevention, economic values ruining habitat, and hunting. Continued threats to the grizzly bear population would include construction of roads which aid in the roadkill of bears, recreational hunters, livestock farmers protecting their livestock, and the continuance of habitat destruction by humans. Habitat destruction by humans would include,     
                                                                                   agriculture development, persecution, and urban 
                                                                                   development.

Recovery Plan
There are five objectives to the recovery plan:

1. Show species recovery in the six ecosystems.
2. Monitor the six ecosystems that show evidence of recovery.
3. Identify the factors that caused the threatened status of the grizzly bear.
4. Manage the factors that caused the threatened status so the population can continue to increase.
5. The goal is to have a healthy population in each ecosystem.

The recovery plan includes:

    The management of dry and moist forests to create a more stable and healthy environment for grizzly bears. Constant assessments of forests and woodland areas will be integrated to ensure these environments are applicable for the grizzly bears. Plant manipulation will also be prevalent to minimize harmful habitat impacts. Road construction near or through grizzly bear environments will be extensively minimized and temporary roads will be decommissioned to decrease grizzly bear roadkill. There will be no log cutting within 100 feet of year round streams or within 50 feet of seasonal streams. Extensive care of old growth forests will be strived for and developing old growth forests will be maintained. Management of riparian and wetland communities to ensure and adequate and healthy habitat for these species. Those riparian environments in critical conditions will be a top priority at the Field Office. BLM will focus on appropriate grazing by developing grazing strategies, combing cultural, physical, and biological treatments for weed control, encourage healthy weed development with landowners, and create a weed management prescriptions. When there are bear conflicts, the BLM will keep record. BLM will also manage sensitive terrestrial and aquatic species in the same manner as grizzly bear restoration. BLM will encourage the conservation of special species and the conservation of native plants and animals. BLM will create blocks of security for big game species and minimize disturbance by ending any increase in permanent road building. 

http://www.grizzlyencounter.org/save-the-grizzly-bear-inc-4

What Can You Do?
To help the grizzly bear population, there are four major ways to get involved in the fight for grizzly bears. One way is to donate to wildlife protection programs such as Defenders of Wildlife, Wild Animal Health Fund, or Wildlife Justice Committee. this is a great way to help when you do not have the time. The second way is to be a mindful driver when driving through national parks and near natural reserves. The most common way of death for grizzly bears is by car so being a safe and alert driver is a great way to help in the fight. The third major way is to educate your local politicians and community members about grizzly bears and why they are important to our ecosystem. Finally, you can get involved in a wildlife volunteer group that supports rebuilding the grizzly bear population. This is a free and self rewarding way to assist the threatened grizzly bear. 


Videos
To learn more, watch this grizzly bear quiz video!!

Grizz Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Grizzly Bears?

Resources
https://www.nps.gov/noca/upload/Grizzly_bear_recovery_plan.pdf

https://www.fws.gov/pacific/news/grizzly/grizzlybearbkgrnd.htm

https://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/es/2016-02-22_DRAFT_RP_supplement_Yellowstone_Grizzly_
bear_Demographic_Criteria_Feb_5_2016.pdf


Other Sources
http://www.defenders.org/help-us-protect-grizzly-bears

https://www.wildanimalhealthfund.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAlpDQBRDmARIsAAW6-DMYvqbINAQskmFZvwZ6CeWo5zkpKxT_mDt6WVGGPg13cTAmTeN7et4aAvlyEALw_wcB

https://wildlifejustice.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAlpDQBRDmARIsAAW6-DMPf8-FOxVeESv5Z2ISC
0ytJ1ykK3shY100Tx2nE20RHldvPLW9HrgaAouWEALw_wcB
https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp0/profile/speciesProfile?spcode=A001#recovery


http://augustafreepress.com/done-protect-grizzly-bears/

http://www.grizzlyencounter.org/save-the-grizzly-bear-inc-4