Wildlife Management Institute

Over 300 scientists, managers and educators from three continents met in Missoula, Montana, on March 20 – 22 for the Fourth Human-Bear Conflict Workshop, reports the Wildlife Management Institute.  World-renowned bear expert John Beecham described human-bear conflict today as, “An international problem involving all eight species of bears.”  Wildlife professionals at the conference represented North America, Europe and Asia and shared information about effective techniques to address conflicts ranging from damage to crops to attacks on people in places as different as Florida and the Canadian Arctic, or the Carpathian mountains of Slovakia and Karuizawa, Japan. 

On May 2, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper announced the release of a plan for the state’s roadless areas. The Colorado Roadless Rule provides protection for 4.2 million acres on eight national forests in the state.  Of those, 1.2 million acres will be classified as “upper tier” with more restrictive rules then the 2001 Roadless Rule, according to the Wildlife Management Institute.  However, the plan also reduces protections on the remaining acreage and keeps a small percentage of lands open for ski resort expansion (8,000 acres) and for temporary roads to allow venting for existing coal mines (19,000 acres).