More than $1 million in funding is being directed this year to communities and organizations working to reduce carnivore conflict and depredation across Montana.
The investment comes as Gov. Greg Gianforte reiterated his calls at a media event in Choteau in August to delist grizzly bears in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem from the protection of the Endangered Species Act.
At the same time, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is pushing bear-safe educational events for "bear aware month" in September under its new director, Christy Clark, whose family lives and ranches along the Rocky Mountain Front.
Clark's agency recently launched an online dashboard tracking grizzly conflicts across the state. So far this year, 126 conflicts have been reported. Twenty known bear mortalities have been recorded and 17 animals have been relocated.
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To emphasize their goals, Gianforte joined Clark on a helicopter search for grizzly bears in late August along the Rocky Mountain Front ahead of the agency's September campaign for bear awareness.
The grizzly population has grown to around 1,000 animals over the last decade in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem, fueling a debate over the bruin's federal protection.
"Kids don't ride bikes, there's no trick or treating, my own family is building a bear-proof fence around their yard," Clark said at the Choteau gathering.
Following the helicopter bear-spotting tour, a public FWP Bear Aware event was held with residents, who practiced firing bear spray at a fast-moving mechanized bear cutout.
Throughout the month the agency is hosting or supporting events across the state.
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Heart of the Rockies
As part of a broader public-private partnership expanding the use of nonlethal wildlife conflict prevention tools in communities and agricultural settings, the charitable organization Heart of the Rockies Initiative has awarded a series of grants for things like carcass removal programs, electric fencing and range rider initiatives.
"Over the next five years, Montana will be awarded nearly $12 million to help implement and expand conflict reduction programs on working lands shared by grizzly bears and other wildlife," the group noted on its website. "Demand for conflict prevention funding in Montana currently outpaces availability by 3 to 1."
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The group awarded nearly $500,000 in March that is currently supporting nine projects. The organization is seeking applications by Oct. 3 for another $750,000 in funding for similar conflict reduction projects. Communities and organizations interested in applying before the Oct. 3 deadline can find more details and project guidelines at Heart of the Rockies' website.
"Reducing conflicts starts with simple, local actions -- from using bear-resistant dumpsters to securing livestock feed and teaching kids how to be safe outdoors," said Steve Primm, Conflict Reduction Manager at Heart of the Rockies Initiative. "As grizzlies expand into new areas, communities are finding that these straightforward steps make daily life safer for both people and wildlife. This program is here to help support and strengthen those community-led efforts on the ground."
The nearly half-million dollars in funding provided in March went to local Bear Aware and Bear Smart programs in Alberton, Gardiner and Choteau, bear-resistant garbage cans and dumpsters in communities like Anaconda and Seeley Lake, educational signage and outreach events in Troy and Whitefish, and a perimeter electric fence around the Powell County landfill.
Livestock Loss Board
Another program seeking to deter grizzly-livestock encounters is operated by the Montana Livestock Loss Board. In late August the board awarded $216,335 to 13 projects that "intend to proactively implement measures that decrease the risk of wolf, grizzly bear, black bear, and mountain lion predation on livestock."
The Montana Livestock Loss Board, within the Montana Department of Livestock, was established by the legislature in 2007 to address economic losses due to wolf predation and to create incentives for producers to take proactive, preventative steps to decrease the risk of loss.
The recent funding was distributed across a wide swath of the state from north-central to southwest Montana and funds conflict prevention measures like range riders and guardian dogs.
The largest grant, totaling $75,000, went to Blackfoot Challenge in Ovando to support three separate projects. Of that total, $32,000 will be dedicated to the operation of a carcass composting facility to remove dead livestock from area ranches and reduce predator conflict. Another $32,000 will be used to provide for three to four range riders to protect 5,500 head of grazing livestock. The remaining $11,000 will be used to procure and construct bear exclusion fencing to prevent conflict between grizzly bears and livestock.
In 2024, the board confirmed the loss of 221 animals to predators including wolves and mountain lions and paid out more than $254,400 to livestock owners.
Thom Bridge is a photojournalist with the Independent Record and Montana State News Bureau. He also hosts the Montana Untamed podcast.
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