Grizzly Bear Space Use in the US Northern Rocky Mountains

Over the past two centuries, persecution and habitat loss caused grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) to decline from a population of approximately 50,000 individuals to only 4 fragmented populations within the continental United States. In recent decades, these populations have increased and expanded in size and range due to collaborative conservation efforts and protections under the Endangered Species Act. Today, population estimates exceed 1000 animals each in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE) and Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). The Selkirk Ecosystem (SE) has approximately 50 grizzly bears, and augmentations into the Cabinet-Yaak Ecosystem (CYE) helped boost the population to an estimated 50 – 60...

Tags: Bitterroot Ecosystem, Bitterroot Ecosystem, Cabinet-Yaak Ecosystem, Cabinet-Yaak Ecosystem, Ecology, All tags... Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, Idaho, Montana, North Cascades Ecosystem, North Cascades Ecosystem, Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem, Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem, Selkirk Ecosystem, Selkirk Ecosystem, US Northern Rocky Mountains, USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC), United States, Ursus arctos, Washington, Wildlife Biology, Wyoming, bears, biota, connectivity, grizzly bears, habitat use, integrated step selection functions, movement ecology, natural resource management, Fewer tags

Predicted connectivity pathways between grizzly bear ecosystems in Western Montana: spatial data

Grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) connectivity pathways delineate predicted movement routes for grizzly bears between federally designated recovery zones in and near western Montana. These raster data are the official data release for Sells et al. (2023), "Predicted connectivity pathways between grizzly bear ecosystems in Western Montana." In summary, we built on recent work by Sells et al. (2022, 2023) to simulate movements using integrated step selection functions (iSSFs) developed from GPS-collared grizzly bears (F = 46, M = 19) in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE). We applied the iSSFs in a >300,000 km2 area including the NCDE, Cabinet–Yaak (CYE), Bitterroot (BE), and Greater Yellowstone (GYE) Ecosystems...

Tags: Bitterroot Ecosystem, Bitterroot Ecosystem, Cabinet-Yaak Ecosystem, Cabinet-Yaak Ecosystem, Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, All tags... Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, Idaho, Montana, Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem, Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem, Selkirk Ecosystem, US Northern Rocky Mountains, United States, Ursus arctos, Wyoming, bears, biota, connectivity, dispersal (organisms), grizzly bears, integrated step selection functions, movement ecology, natural resource management, Fewer tags

Predicted grizzly bear habitat use in Western Montana: spatial data

Grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) habitat use maps delineate predicted habitat use for grizzly bears around federally designated recovery zones in and near western Montana. These raster data are the official data release for Sells et al. (2022), “Grizzly Bear Habitat Selection Across the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem” and Sells et al. (2023), “Grizzly bear movement models predict habitat use for nearby populations.” In summary, to better understand habitat selection by grizzly bears, Sells et al. (2022) developed and validated individual-based integrated step-selection functions (iSSFs) for 65 grizzly bears monitored in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE; including 19 males and 46 females). Step-selection...

Tags: Cabinet-Yaak Ecosystem, Cabinet-Yaak Ecosystem, Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, Idaho, All tags... Montana, Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem, Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem, Selkirk Ecosystem, Selkirk Ecosystem, US Northern Rocky Mountains, United States, Ursus arctos, Washington, Wyoming, bears, biota, connectivity, grizzly bears, habitat use, integrated step selection functions, movement ecology, natural resource management, Fewer tags