Where the Grizzly Walks: The Future Of The Great Bear

by Bill Schneider

Overview

Admired for its majesty and often feared for its strength, speed, and supposed aggressiveness, the grizzly bear was once unchallenged as the great apex predator of the American West. But by the 1970s, hunting and habitat loss had reduced its numbers in the lower 48 states to a mere 800 animals occupying just two percent of the bear's former range. Where the Grizzly Walks assesses the bear's current status and its uncertain future at the beginning of the 21st century. Focusing on the wildlife professionals who struggle to achieve a balance among the varied interests of government agencies, private landowners, politicians, and environmentalists, the author illuminates the enormous challenges in making sensible public policy for the management of a high-profile, threatened species—and one of the last great symbols of the American wilderness.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780762726028
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	12/01/2003
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	302
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)
Age Range:	14 Years

About the Author

Bill Schneider is the author of 17 books about the outdoors, including the best-selling Bear Aware, a quick-reference guide to living in grizzly country. A former wilderness professional in the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, he is the co-founder and former president of Falcon Publishing. He lives and writes full-time in Helena, Montana.

Table of Contents

	Foreword	ix
	Preface	xi
	Acknowledgments	xiii
	Prologue: The Grizzly Landscape	xv
	Past and Present-Day Grizzly Bear Habitat Map	xvi
	Grizzly Bear Recovery Zones Map	xvii
	The Bear People	xxv
	Acronyms for Dummies	xxvi
1.	The Passing of Old Ephraim	1
	Chronology of the Grizzly Bear	12
	A Few Bears I've Met: The grizzly is more than a bear	15
2.	The Ninemile Grizzly	19
	Living with Bears	27
3.	Strange Bedfellows	29
	The Governor and the Grizzly	47
	Is One Too Many?	49
4.	The Great Grizzly Gamble	53
	An Unacceptable Species	74
5.	A Most Delicate Balance	77
	A Few Bears I've Met: If you don't have dreams, they can't come true	90
6.	The B Team	97
	Raising Grizzly Bears	111
7.	The Hair of the Bear	113
	Why Do We Need Grizzly Bears?	124
8.	Minimal and Acceptable	129
	A Few Ways to Die	136
	The Bear Essentials of Hiking and Camping in Bear Country	145
	A Few Bears I've Met: Bad things happen when you don't take your own advice	146
9.	How Much Aversive Is Enough?	151
	Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee Bear Pepper Spray Position Paper	158
	A Few Bears I've Met: Just when you think you're in control, something reminds you that you aren't	160
10.	Killing Trout to Save Bears	163
	The Original	173
	A Few Bears I've Met: Never depend on a bear to do what a bear is supposed to do	176
11.	Ecosystem Thinking in Touristland	179
	How Would We Notice?	186
12.	Nibbled to Death	189
	Management by Elimination	202
	What Is the Greatest Threat to the Grizzly Bear?	205
13.	The Bear Medicine	209
	The Legend of the Medicine Grizzly	217
14.	Running the Trapline	219
	Thinking Grizzly	235
	Epilogue: Reflections of Pages Past--What We Need to Do to Save the Grizzly Bear	237
	A Few Bears I've Met: I heard the requiem sound	253
	Bibliography	255
	Index	263
	About the Author	275