Take action on behalf of grizzly bears and their habitat
David Mattson brings intimate familiarity with grizzly bears and grizzly bear science informed by over 35 years as a wildlife researcher. David also has decades of experience assembling and interpreting science in support of litigation, together with both theoretical and practical insight into relations between science and policy.
Steve Primm is a nationally-recognized expert on grizzly bear-human coexistence. He brings a wealth of on-the-ground experience implementing coexistence between grizzly bears and humans in rural landscapes--as well as an inspired vision for what's possible.
Redefining Recovery
Coexisting with Grizzly Bears
The Problem
This video addresses a fundamental problem. The current US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan, finalized in 1993, is outdated and in urgent need of revision. The current Plan fails to account for a monumental amount of relevant research published since 1992. Equally relevant, the current Plan articulates an impoverished and outdated vision of recovery for grizzly bears in the contiguous United States that fails to envision what’s possible, scientifically defensible, and needed to ensure long-term viability.
The Remedy
Steve Primm and David Mattson offer a path forward. The USFWS needs to revise its current 1993 Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan to reflect the best available science and an emerging consensus regarding requirements for long-term viability--notably the need for large connected populations totaling 1000s of individuals with both genetic and demographic connectivity. This kind of revision also needs to reflect lessons learned from on-the-ground experience with successful coexistence between people and grizzly bears, which contributes to a more generous and meaningful vision of recovery for grizzly bears in the contiguous United States.
