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Predicting future grizzly bear habitat use in the Bitterroot Ecosystem under recolonization and reintroduction scenarios: spatial data

Grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) habitat use maps delineate predicted habitat use for grizzly bears around the Bitterroot Ecosystem (BE), a federally designated recovery zone in western Montana and central Idaho. These raster data are the official data release for Sells and Costello (2024), “Predicting future grizzly bear habitat use in the Bitterroot Ecosystem under recolonization and reintroduction scenarios.” Many conservation actions must be implemented with limited data. This is especially true when planning recovery efforts for extirpated populations, such as grizzly bears within the Bitterroot Ecosystem (BE), where strategies for reestablishing a resident population are being evaluated. Here, we applied individual-based movement models developed for a nearby grizzly bear population to predict habitat use in and near the BE, under scenarios of natural recolonization, reintroduction, and a combination of the two strategies. All simulations predicted that habitat use by grizzly bears would be higher in the northern half of the study area. Under the natural recolonization scenario, use was concentrated in Montana, but became more uniform across the northern BE in Idaho over time. Use was more concentrated in central-east Idaho under the reintroduction scenario. Assuming that natural recolonization continues even if bears are reintroduced, use remained widespread across the northern half of the BE and surrounding areas. Simulated grizzly bears selected habitats over a much larger landscape than the BE itself under all scenarios, including multiple-use and private lands, similar to existing populations that have expanded beyond recovery zones. This highlights the importance of recognizing and planning for the role of private lands in recovery efforts, including understanding resources needed to prevent and respond to human-grizzly bear conflict and maintain public acceptance of grizzly bears over a large landscape.

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Author(s) Sarah N Sells orcid, Cecily M. Costello
Publication Date 2024-07-11
Beginning Date of Data 2003-05-01
Ending Date of Data 2023-12-31
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DOI https://doi.org/10.5066/P91EWUO8
Citation Sells, S.N., and Costello, C.M., 2024, Predicting future grizzly bear habitat use in the Bitterroot Ecosystem under recolonization and reintroduction scenarios: spatial data: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P91EWUO8.
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Metadata Date 2024-07-11
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Citations of these data No citations of these data are known at this time.
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License http://www.usa.gov/publicdomain/label/1.0/
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Harvest Source: ScienceBase
Harvest Date: 2025-01-03T19:05:34.417Z