CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Conservation groups are asking state agencies in Wyoming and Idaho to require hunters to carry bear spray in grizzly bear habitat.

Between 2015 and 2017, 146 grizzlies were killed in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The vast majority were encounters with hunters. Kristin Combs, executive director at Wyoming Wildlife Advocates, said while grizzly populations have been slowly expanding over the past 20 years, bears still are struggling to expand their range and connect with populations in the Mountain West.

"However, if we keep having these high numbers of mortalities year after year after year, we are not going to see recovery, we're not going to see that genetic connectivity between populations,” Combs said.

Encounters with grizzlies are rare, but Combs said more conflicts happen during hunting season, in part because bears are drawn to gut piles left by hunters after field-stripping game. Skeptics of the proposal say hunters are not about to drop their guns and reach for spray if they encounter a grizzly in the wild.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and studies published in the Journal of Wildlife Management, bear spray has been 98 percent effective at preventing human injuries during bear encounters. Firearms are only 50 percent effective.

Combs said the proposal is similar to requiring seat belts in cars or a life jacket when rafting.

"People tend to be kind of bad shots when bears are charging them, in a high-adrenaline situation,” she said. “If they have that bear spray on their person, that at least gives them a chance to have some sort of secondary method of protection for themselves and for the bears."

Combs noted Yellowstone and Glacier national parks already require staff to carry bear spray when working in the field. And Wyoming OSHA encourages guides and other workers in grizzly territory to carry and be trained in the use of bear spray as a matter of workplace safety.

The Wyoming Fish and Game Department has 60 days to respond to the petition submitted by conservation groups.


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The Colorado General Assembly has passed legislation to fund wildlife road-crossing projects across the state.

Rep. Julie McCluskie, D-Gunnison, said Senate Bill 151 has broad support from sportsmen and women, land and wildlife conservation groups, and community leaders from both parties. She argued safe passages work, and pointed to a successful program developed in Summit County.

"Our safe passages in Summit County have been able to reduce the number of wildlife and vehicle collisions by more than 92% in the five years since they were originally constructed," McCluskie reported.

Each year, wildlife-vehicle collisions kill thousands of animals, at a cost of more than $80 million in property damage and related expenses. The "Safe Crossings for Colorado Wildlife and Motorists" bill will use state funds to tap matching federal dollars for a list of shovel-ready projects, starting with stretches of roads and highways with high rates of wildlife-vehicle collisions.

Outdoor recreation contributes more than $62 billion to Colorado's economy. But Colorado Parks and Wildlife estimated more Western Slope mule deer does are killed each year in vehicle collisions than from hunting.

Rep. Perry Will, R-Carbondale, said the measure will help protect critical wildlife resources.

"We lose thousands of deer and elk and other wildlife across the state each year," Will noted. "This bill is important; that we can save those, plus the safety of the motoring public. There's some really bad accidents with wildlife and vehicle strikes on the roadways."

Colorado has been a leader in the West for wildlife-crossing solutions. There are currently 64 bridges, culverts or tunnels, and fencing projects to help move animals away from traffic and to safe crossings. McCluskie said the measure will help preserve Colorado's rich outdoor experiences.

"Nothing is more special about Colorado than our great outdoors," McCluskie stressed. "When we protect wildlife, we protect that very pristine, special, unique part of our entire state and culture."

Saturday is World Migratory Bird Day, and bird experts said it is a great time to be on the lookout for types of birds you may not see every day in your community.

Up to 300 species of birds have been identified in and around the Gulf of Maine during migration season, and this year's theme for the awareness day is the impact of light pollution on birds.

Nicholas Lund, advocacy and outreach manager for Maine Audubon, noted roughly one million birds die per day from running into glass. At night, the lights from within make glass invisible to birds, and during the day it reflects their habitat.

"Birds don't know what glass is," Lund explained. "They fly accidentally into windows when they are drawn in by lights, which also may disorient them as they're traveling or draw in the insects that they're trying to eat."

In addition to risks of collision, disorientation can cause birds to circle and deplete their energy resources, making them more vulnerable to predators.

Lund recommended turning out lights at night during migration, which is now through the first part of June, and then again in September and October. He said if you cannot keep your lights off, light fixtures can help, and you can treat the glass on your windows to make it more visible to birds.

Lund added while Saturday is the day selected to celebrate migratory birds, millions of birds are flying up to Maine every night from their wintering grounds in the south, looking for places to breed.

"The trees in your backyard are going to be full of colorful songbirds," Lund pointed out. "The shores and the mud flats will be full of shorebirds moving, the skies full with raptors. I mean, this is migratory bird month, for sure."

Lund emphasized for those who want some guidance, birders and experts are leading walks across the state - including at Fields Pond near Bangor on Saturday, as well as all this week and next at Evergreen Cemetery in Portland.

Also on Saturday, staff naturalist Doug Hitchcox will host a "Big Day," trying to find as many bird species as possible from Bangor to Kennebunkport.

Work continues on a proposed power-line system that would cross into Iowa from Wisconsin, even as court battles play out about the project. Conservation groups say the line would affect the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge.

Earlier this year, a federal judge struck down plans to drive the Cardinal-Hickory Creek power line through the refuge. But energy companies leading the project are appealing that decision.

Mike Senatore, vice president for conservation law of the group Defenders of Wildlife, said residents of the region should pay attention to the potential impact if the recent ruling is reversed.

"This particular refuge, it's a globally important bird area," said Senatore. "It has important floodplain areas. It's going to have impact that potentially increases the effectiveness of predators."

Senatore noted that this project also involves a potential land swap between the companies and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which he warns could set a dangerous precedent.

Project officials argue they're in compliance with federal and state laws, and say the work replaces older power lines in the protected area with a less-intrusive setup.

Howard Learner is the president and executive director of the Environmental Law and Policy Center, which represents the groups challenging the power-line plan. He said he's concerned that construction keeps forging ahead along other sections of the route, even as legal matters are still being decided.

"They are keeping spending money and plowing through and building right up to the edges of a refuge that they're not allowed to cross," said Learner. "And that's a waste of ratepayer's money, and it creates an enormous amount of unnecessary environmental and property damage."

Last month, the Iowa Utility Board denied a request to halt some of the construction work. Meanwhile, opponents are urging the Biden administration to reject the land swap and compel the companies to seek alternatives.