Mont. Admin. R. 12.9.1403 - GRIZZLY BEAR DEMOGRAPHIC OBJECTIVES FOR THE NORTHERN CONTINENTAL DIVIDE ECOSYSTEM
(1) Upon delisting
from the Endangered Species Act, management of the grizzly bear and its habitat
in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE) will be guided by the
Conservation Strategy for Grizzly Bears in the Northern Continental Divide
Ecosystem (NCDE Conservation Strategy). The department and federal land
management agencies will endorse and commit themselves to the NCDE Conservation
Strategy by entering into a memorandum of understanding detailing their
agreement to implement it. The department will be a signatory to the
implementation memorandum.
(2) The
department and the commission shall, within their lawful authority to do so,
maintain the recovered status of the grizzly bear in the NCDE by implementing
interagency cooperation, population and habitat management and monitoring, and
other provisions of the NCDE Conservation Strategy in accordance with the
responsibilities described therein.
(3) As described in the NCDE Conservation
Strategy, the commission adopts the following demographic objectives. The
department shall:
(a) maintain a
well-distributed grizzly bear population within the demographic monitoring area
as described in the NCDE Conservation Strategy and maintain the documented
presence of females with offspring in at least 21 of 23 bear management units
of the primary conservation area and in at least six of seven occupancy units
of Zone 1 at least every six years. Adherence to this objective will be
evaluated by monitoring the presence of females with offspring (cubs,
yearlings, or 2-year-olds) within defined geographic units of the
NCDE;
(b) manage mortalities from
all sources, including hunting and the loss of grizzly bears by translocation
out of the NCDE, to support an estimated probability of at least 90% that the
grizzly bear population within the demographic monitoring area remains above
800 bears, considering the uncertainty associated with all of the demographic
parameter and further manage mortality against a 6-year running average within
the following threshold objectives:
(i)
maintain estimated annual survival rate of independent females within the
demographic monitoring area of at least 90% and a rate at or above the minimum
level consistent with a projected probability of at least 90% that the
population within the demographic monitoring area will remain above 800 bears
based on population modeling;
(ii)
limit annual estimated number of total reported and unreported mortalities of
independent females within the demographic monitoring area to a number that is
no more than 10% of the number of independent females estimated within the
demographic monitoring area based on population modeling and a number that is
at or below the maximum level consistent with a projected probability of at
least 90% that the population within the demographic monitoring area will
remain above 800 bears based on population modeling; and
(iii) limit annual estimated number of total
reported and unreported mortalities of independent males within the demographic
monitoring area to a number that is no more than 15% of the number of
independent males estimated within the demographic monitoring area based on
population modeling;
(c)
monitor demographic and genetic connectivity among populations by the following
means:
(i) estimating spatial distribution of
the NCDE grizzly bear population biennially; and
(ii) identifying the population of origin for
individuals sampled inside and outside of the demographic monitoring area to
detect movements of individuals to and from other populations or recovery
areas.
(4)
Hunting would cease if the probability that the grizzly bear population remains
above 800 within the demographic monitoring area falls below 90% and would not
resume until the probability is 90% or greater that the population of bears
remains above 800.
(5) Hunting will
not be allowed in a year if mortality thresholds as described in (3)(b)(ii) or
(iii) were exceeded in the previous year.
Notes
AUTH: 87-1-301, MCA; IMP: 87-1-201, 87-1-301, MCA
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