Thanks to your support, grizzly bears are returning to their historic home ranges in the Yellowstone to Yukon region
It’s always thrilling to spot a majestic grizzly bear, isn’t it? Especially from a safe distance.
One recent grizzly bear sighting wasn’t just thrilling, it was a cause for celebration. A landowner captured an image of a grizzly bear on a trail camera in the Tobacco Root Mountains of southwestern Montana, which is the first confirmed sighting of a grizzly bear in the region in decades.
The Tobacco Root region is considered a “stepping stone” between the Northern Continental Divide population around Montana’s Glacier National Park, and the isolated Greater Yellowstone population in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Long-term isolation for the Yellowstone population is a death sentence.
This proves the work you’re investing in to bring grizzly bears back is working!
This recent bear sighting in July 2024 came on the heels of two other unique sightings. In spring 2024, a grizzly bear was confirmed in Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains. And the previous summer, one was spotted on the Montana side of the Pryor Mountains near the Wyoming state line, where grizzly bears hadn’t been seen in over a century.
These recent sightings are giving hope that the robust northern grizzly bear population will reconnect to the Yellowstone bears, securing their survival. And at the same time, many people are understandably nervous about having more bears in our backyard.
Landowners, ranchers, hunters and outdoor recreationists will have to adopt bear smart strategies — from carrying bear spray and being bear-aware on outings, to managing grizzly bear attractants (like livestock, feed or garbage). In fact, the grizzly bear spotted this spring in the Bighorn Mountains preyed on cattle, and was sadly killed by wildlife agents.
That’s why your ongoing support is crucial.
You can help protect more corridors and connect landscapes so grizzly bear populations will continue to expand and safely return to their home ranges. You can also support the education and infrastructure (like wildlife overpasses and bear-proof fencing) to keep bears and humans safe.
Grizzly bears once roamed from the coast to the plains, and from Alaska to Mexico. By the mid-70s, their numbers in the lower 48 dwindled to fewer than 1,000. Alberta experienced similar trends, with the grizzly bear population falling to 691 bears in 2010.
Thankfully, those trends are turning around. By supporting Y2Y, you are helping to restore and recover habitat for grizzly bears and other animals, and improve connectivity throughout the Yellowstone to Yukon region.
And with these recent grizzly bear sightings, we know these efforts are paying off. Thank you for being a champion of conservation and helping grizzly bears return to their historic home ranges.
