![Grizzly bears are spreading their territory in the Wind River Range amidst growing recreational activity Grizzly bears are spreading their territory in the Wind River Range amidst growing recreational activity](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/2e2c3de/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6240x3276+0+442/resize/1200x630!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fsites%2Fwpr%2Ffiles%2F201909%2Ferik_kahl_grizzly_s_shadow.jpg)
In recent years, grizzly bears have expanded into new parts of Wyoming, including the southern end of the Wind River Range. This increase in territory occurs when more people than ever recreate in the Winds.
Last year, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) estimated there are just over 1,000 grizzly bears in the state as the population continues to increase.
Grizzly bears have expanded into new parts of Wyoming in recent years, including the southern end of the Wind River Range.
This increase in territory occurs when more people than ever recreate in the Winds.
For years, the agency has watched bears in the mountain range, part of which is in the Wind River Reservation, although the species has lower densities there than in other parts of the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem.
Grizzly bears are still listed as threatened at the federal level, although Wyoming officials would like to see them delisted and management control turned over to the state.
But many conservation groups want federal protections to remain.
“It appears that bears and people are being punished by the successful recovery and conservation of grizzly bears, to the point that they are moving to areas where they are more likely to get into trouble,” said Dan Thompson, a senior section of carnivores. WGFD supervisor.
Caitlin Tan
/
Wyoming Public Media
A paw print, probably from a grizzly bear, in the Upper Green area of Sublette County.
Last September, a backpacker went missing in the Winds, near an area where some hikers said a grizzly bear had been repeatedly sighted.
However, there is still no evidence linking the disappearance to an encounter with a grizzly bear.
“The reality of the situation is that with a large number of bears and a large number of people, there will always be potential for conflict,” Thompson said.
Overall, Thompson added that when it comes to conflicts with humans, diet-conditioned black bears have lately been a bigger problem in the Shoshone National Forest than grizzly bears.
He emphasized the importance of making noise when walking in grizzly bear habitat, staying on main trails and checking the agency’s Bear Wise website.
This report was made possible by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which supports state government coverage in the state. Wyoming Public Media and Jackson Hole Community Radio are partnering to cover state issues both on-air and online.
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