One of the key goals of the Grizzly Bear Conservation Strategy is for grizzlies to reoccupy the Central Idaho Complex, and to reestablish the area’s connections to the Cabinet-Purcell Mountain Corridor to the north and the High Divide area to the south.

Although currently unoccupied by grizzly bears, the Central Idaho Complex is a huge block of protected land in the southern portion of the Y2Y region which contains high-quality, secure grizzly habitat. A study done at the Universityof Alberta showed that if a healthy population of grizzlies occupied the Central Idaho Complex, the likelihood of grizzly extinction in the US would be greatly reduced.

Grizzly bears once lived in the area, but were extirpated by the middle of the 20^thcentury. However, in an exciting development in the summer of 2007, a grizzly bear found his way into the Bitterroot Ecosystem of north-central Idaho, where bears haven’t been seen for decades. Although the bear was still in the Cabinet-Purcell Priority Area and had not quite crossed over into the Central Idaho Complex Priority Area, the Bitterroot ecosystem overlaps those two Priority Areas. Tragically, the well-traveled bear was mistakenly shot by a black bear hunter. Even though the bear’s death was a huge loss, his successful journey affirmed that efforts to improve and protect connectivity in this part of the region are making a difference.