Montana

Statewide Black Bear Study Expands to Northwest Montana – Flathead Beacon

Published

2 years ago

May 21, 2024

Statewide Black Bear Study Expands to Northwest Montana – Flathead Beacon

In 2011, bear biologists in Montana published the findings of a first-of-its-kind research project to estimate the state’s black bear population and determine the effects hunting was having on the species. The decade-long study by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) researchers Rick Mace and Tonya Chilton-Randandt began in 2001 with live captures and cutting-edge DNA-based sampling in the Swan Valley, but it eventually expanded to encompass 11 areas spanning 8,000 square miles across central and western Montana.

At the time, the project helped quell unrest over the state’s black bear management plan.

In the early 1990s, controversy over the recreational harvest of black bears by the public had peaked. Public harvest of grizzly bears in Montana had recently been halted by a federal court that determined the state of Montana did not have adequate data to indicate that the recreational harvest was not impacting grizzly populations, and public stakeholders argued the same was true for black bears. At the same time, the agency recognized that black bear harvest was (and is) an important part of the lives of many Montanans. As a result of this controversy, FWP initiated a public scoping and Environmental Impact Assessment process to update the black bear management program.

By extrapolating regional bear density data from nearly a dozen geographic zones across the state, the study arrived at a mean population estimate of 13,307 black bears and found that, on average, 1,030 black bears were harvested in Montana annually between 1987 and 2006. Nearly half of those bears (46%) were harvested in FWP’s Region 1 encompassing northwest Montana.

Introduced when Montana’s annual black bear harvest averaged fourth in the nation behind Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, the project produced some landmark findings and was cheered for its use of advanced technology.

“This project is an outstanding example of how technology and scientific rigor can be used to inform wildlife management and conservation programs, such that decisions regarding the conservation of wildlife are adequately informed and reliable,” Jim Williams, who at the time worked as FWP’s Region 1 wildlife program manager, wrote in the report’s executive summary, “Black Bear Harvest Research and Management in Montana.”

“The results of this project are already being applied to black bear management and conservation in Montana, and this report will help to form the basis of the black bear management program in Montana for years to come,” according to Williams.

But it was never meant to be the final word. In the 13 years since FWP published the report, and in the 23 years since the agency launched the project, scientific technology and methodology has evolved. With those new methods in mind, biologists have launched a new initiative to model an even more detailed population estimate of black bears in Montana, using harvest data, monitoring and genetic sampling to assess how bears are using the habitat, and whether their behaviors have changed as a result of hunting.

“As you might imagine, scientific methods have come a long way in 10 years, so we’re revisiting a familiar question using different methodologies,” Colby Anton, FWP’s black bear monitoring biologist, said Monday after the agency announced the second season of its black bear monitoring program. “Our overall objectives are to estimate the density and abundance of black bears at a statewide level, but also at a local level, in the individual bear management units. The impetus for this study is really to just better understand how harvest management and Montana’s harvest of black bears impacts black bear populations. It will ultimately help FWP gain an accurate and timely understanding of the black bear populations, accounting for regional differences, to better inform management decisions.”

The biggest difference setting this season’s field work apart from last year’s is its focus on northwest Montana’s Region 1 as opposed to the program’s inaugural season, which saw data collection and bear tracking primarily in Region 2, around the Blackfoot, Clearwater, Missoula, and Bitterroot valleys. Beginning next month, FWP staff will collect hair samples by setting up barbed-wire hair corrals west of Kalispell. In addition, about 20 bears will be captured and collared to collect the GPS data on in western and central Montana.

“We have 90 sites that we hope to establish this year, which are entirely centered in [Hunting District] 103,” Anton said, describing the study’s focus area as beginning near Ashley Lake and stretching west to the eastern edge of the Fisher River Valley and north to the district’s northern boundary.

The barbed-wire hair corral sites will be baited with a scent lure concocted out of fermented blood and fish guts, Anton said, and will see heightened use by black bears and grizzly bears alike. Hair corral sites will be surrounded by bright orange warning signs to prevent safety issues and all sites will be removed before the fall archery season begins. Trapping locations for GPS collaring will be marked by closure signs and members of the public are required to stay out of these areas due to increased safety risks.

“We’ll put up bright orange signs at the corrals that are posted with my name and contact information on them, and we do advise that members of the public not enter these,” Anton said, adding that researchers won’t place the lures until after spring black bear season is over.

A map of black bear and grizzly bear management units. Courtesy FWP

The study will provide estimates on bear abundance and distribution and provide insights on how they use available habitats. Biologists will also better assess how hunter harvest and habitat quality and availability are impacting black bear populations. Managers will be able to make more informed season adjustments and recommendations based on monitoring results. The study will also provide insights on survival rates and causes of mortality.

While genetic sampling will occur in northwest Montana, GPS collaring efforts will be replicated not only in northwest Montana but several other areas around the state including the Ninemile Creek drainage and O’Brien Creek near Missoula; the Pioneer, Boulder and Gravely mountains in southwest Montana; the Little Belt Mountains and Rocky Mountain Front; and the Beartooth Front and Boulder River in south-central Montana.

Last season, biologists captured and collared 31 black bears in FWP Regions 1, 2, 3, and 4. Of those bears, 19 are still online, while others have died or shed their collars.

“This year, we hope to collar another 30 bears,” Anton said.

For more information on FWP’s bear research and for tips on bear safety, go to fwp.mt.gov/conservation/wildlife-management/bear.

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Montana

Evacuation orders issued as 5,000-acre wildfire burns near Roundup, Montana

Published

3 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Evacuation orders issued as 5,000-acre wildfire burns near Roundup, Montana

ROUNDUP, Mont. —
The Rehder Creek Fire is burning 16 miles southeast of Roundup has grown to about 5,000 acres, prompting evacuation orders for residents in the Bruner Mountain Area/Subdivision.

The fire started Feb. 26, the cause is unknown and containment was at 0%.

Evacuation orders are in effect for all residents in the Bruner Mountain Area/Subdivision. The Musselshell County Sheriff’s Office is coordinating the evacuation orders, and 911 reverse calls have been sent out to advise people in the area.

A shelter is opening at the Roundup Community Center. Residents were told to contact Musselshell County DES for further information.

Firefighter and public safety remain the top priority. The public is asked to avoid the Fattig Creek and Rehder Road area so emergency personnel can safely and effectively perform their work.

Fire resources assigned to the incident include 40 total personnel, 11 engines, one Type 2 helicopter, three tenders and two dozers.

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Montana

February 26 recap: Missoula and Western Montana news you may have missed today

Published

16 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

February 26 recap: Missoula and Western Montana news you may have missed today

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Montana

Escobar, Jayapal, Members of Congress Call on Camp East Montana to be Shut Down – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal

Published

1 day ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

Escobar, Jayapal, Members of Congress Call on Camp East Montana to be Shut Down – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) – joined by Representative Pramila Jayapal, the Ranking Member of the Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee, and 22 other Members of Congress – sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons calling for the immediate closure of Camp East Montana in El Paso. They cite urgent humanitarian concerns following multiple deaths in custody, documented unsafe conditions, and serious deficiencies in medical care.

This marks the fourth letter Congresswoman Escobar has sent to DHS and ICE leadership. The previous three letters have gone unanswered.

The letter can be found in its entirety below and here.

“Secretary Noem and Acting Director Lyons:

We are urgently calling on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS or the Department) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to shut down Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas.

Camp East Montana has been operational for six months, and at least three people have died at the site since December 2025: Francisco Gaspar-Andres, Geraldo Lunas Campos, and Victor Manuel Diaz. The El Paso County Medical Examiner has officially ruled Lunas Campos’ death a homicide, citing “asphyxia due to neck and torso compression.”

Camp East Montana was constructed in a matter of weeks and opened before construction was complete and it does not have enough federal staff on-site to provide adequate oversight. Over the last several months, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, in whose district this facility is located, has sent multiple letters to DHS and ICE regarding concerns about the conditions at Camp East Montana, and has received no responses.

According to detainees, there have been constant and consistent problems at the facility since it opened, beginning with the facility’s poor construction and poor ambient temperature control. Upon opening, the drinking water at Camp East Montana tasted foul and made some detainees sick. Detainees continue to be served inadequate meals, including food that is rotten or frozen; last fall, the facility was also consistently failing to make dietary accommodations for detainees. Detainees have shared that they have sporadic access to outside spaces and recreational areas, and that their dormitory pods are cleaned only once every eight days, despite pods housing up to 72 people at a time. Laundry services are not consistent, and people are washing their clothes in the facility showers. Additionally, the facility experiences flooding and sewage backups when it rains, leading to stagnant water.

One of the biggest concerns with the Camp East Montana facility is the inadequate medical care being provided to detainees. Our offices have heard that only the most ill detainees are referred to the medical unit and that there are inconsistencies as to how soon after arriving detainees are able to undergo initial medical screenings. Detainees with chronic health issues who rely on regimented medications for their health have had difficulty accessing necessary medications, including blood pressure medication and insulin.

At least one of the deaths that occurred in ICE custody, the death of Francisco Gaspar-Andres, appears to partially be the result of poor medical care by staff at the facility. According to ICE’s own account, Gaspar-Andres sought medical attention from facility staff for increasingly serious symptoms, but was only transferred to an area hospital once his condition had severely deteriorated.

In addition to our concerns about poor medical care, we are also aware that detainees have experienced irregular access to their legal counsel, including instances of detainees having only two minutes allotted per phone call every 8 days, which is contrary to ICE’s Detention Standards on access to counsel, and that the belatedly created law library lacks adequate resources for the amount of people currently held at the facility. In January 2026, ICE announced the on-site death of Geraldo Lunas Campos “after experiencing medical distress.” ICE opened an investigation into the death, but did not provide a cause of death. However, The Washington Post later reported that another man detained at Camp East Montana had witnessed guards choking Lunas Campos when he refused to enter a segregated housing unit. Weeks later, the El Paso County Medical Examiner ruled that Lunas Campos had experienced “asphyxia due to neck and torso compression” and ruled his death a homicide.

Lunas Campos is the first detainee to die at Camp East Montana as a result of a use-of-force incident, but we are strongly concerned that he will not be the last if ICE is allowed to continue operating Camp East Montana.

ICE was given $45 billion in taxpayer dollars in the reconciliation bill, $1.2 billion of which were awarded to Acquisition Logistics, LLC, a company with no previous experience managing immigration detention facilities, to build and oversee Camp East Montana. However, in the wake of three deaths in custody so far, continued concerns about conditions at the facility, and ICE’s apparent disinterest in responding to oversight letters from Congress, we do not believe Camp East Montana is being run professionally or responsibly.

Camp East Montana must be shut down. For the safety of everyone at the facility, for an end to abuses to detainees, and for fiscal responsibility to the American people, the site cannot continue to operate. We are calling on DHS and ICE to move to immediately close operations at Camp East Montana.

We look forward to hearing from the Department promptly on this matter.

The other co-signers include Representatives Yassamin Ansari, Nanette Barragán, Yvette Clarke, Lloyd Doggett, Maxwell Frost, Jesús “Chuy” García, Sylvia Garcia, Daniel Goldman, Jimmy Gomez, Henry Johnson, Stephen Lynch, Seth Moulton, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Delia Ramirez, Andrea Salinas, Janice Schakowsky, Darren Soto, Rashida Tlaib, Paul Tonko, Lauren Underwood, Gabe Vasquez, and Nydia Velázquez.

Issues: Immigration

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