Bummer. This 185 pound grizzly was poking around tents in Norris campground. That’s never a good thing. While I’m a big fan of Norris campground, it’s a shame that there are so many places “pushed on” by mankind that a perhaps curious bear is sentenced to a life behind bars for simply exploring.
Over the years I have noticed a creeping feeling that maybe its time to manage some of our parks and forests for the wildlife – a place where they can be left alone – and that includes collaring and tracking for research. Of course, when I reach that thought, another thought comes stumbling in – the thought of our egos not allowing such a thing to exist.
I would have liked to have seen this bear relocated. It’s the wild.
Molloy claimed there were deficiencies in the projects based in the Kootenai National Forest, which together with northern Idaho holds about forty five grizzly bears.
I want to personally thank Alliance for the Wild Rockies for filing this suit. While some groups work on plans which trade roadless land for ice and rock wilderness, AWR is actually having an immediate impact.
Strange result from the incompetent handling of bears last year. Readers of this blog followed the story of the black bear killed by a cracker shell and the unfortunate slaughter of a grizzly family near Two Medicine. Park officials had planned to shoot the mother and take the two cubs to a zoo, but instead they ended up killing the mother and then a cub with a poorly placed tranquilizer dart.
The new rules will allow Glacier to kill bears without the bears showing agressive behavior.
When you favtor in the recent incomptent moutnain goat tranq deaths in the park, you really have to raise and eyebrow at what the future holds.
I’d like to see Glacier National Park manage some of these “problem” bears simply by closing off their general area to human traffic. We don’t live there full time – the bears do. And we should manage that park with such things in mind.
According to Glacier National Park officials the deer approached the woman and she fired bear spray at it. When she realized the deer was too far away, she pulled out a .357 and shot it towards the ground. The hiker received a written warning.
I’m not a big fan of allowing firearms in the national parks. There are several reasons for this. For me, its easier to see wildlife in the national parks and thus easier to poach. personally, I have always found powerful handguns displayed on belts to be a bit much at tourist attractions. Let’s face it, this isn’t western-world anymore. If you have a gun, great. But the rest of the world doesn’t need to fear you. Obviously the exception here is law enforcement.
The final reason is that it is my intrinsic belief that guns cheapen life. Now this doesn’t mean that guns are “evil”, what it does mean is that it’s far easier to kill that rare animal far from its claws, its teeth and its eyes. We don’t get to feel the breath of it. We are removed from the process and this makes it easier when perhaps we should be putting a little more thought into our actions. We’ve already seen one grizzly bear death in Denali from the new gun law.
Death by grizzlies in Glacier are so rare that walking around with a .357 is a bit silly. Not to mention that bear spray works just as well.
Anyway, its good to be back. I missed this place. I hope to continue to push some of your buttons, to make some of you applaud, and of course to learn from you.
I was planning on a redesign but I’m still buried in big projects, and am currently planning a multi-park tour this summer across the west from California to Montana. The updates will be few to start with, but they will grow.
I am going to pause the site over the next few months. I have other big projects going(good things) and I will not be able to give this site the attention it deserves. Also, I am contemplating a change in direction and redesign if/when updates resume. I will let you know about a final decision in two months. A few days after this post all comments will be turned off.
I’d like to thank everyone for reading and contributing regardless of any disagreements. I’m glad we were able to have an open forum and exchange ideas in a pleasant and non-insulting fashion. This site is nothing without the contributions from everyone.
Here’s a story that makes your stomach turn. The “aye aye” is a harmless little animal that feeds on larvae. Locals in Madagascar may kill them on sight because they fear the creature will stab them with its long claw.
In fact, the animal uses its middle finger to find and harvest insect larvae in trees. It prowls at night, tapping its finger rapidly against tree branches to listen for hollowed-out pockets in the wood that hold grubs.
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I hope to continue to push some of your buttons, to make some of you applaud, and of course to learn from you.