Journey of the Bitterroot Grizzly Bear The Inside Story of a Grizzly Reintroduction Effort and the Journey of a Remarkable Young Grizzly

About this book

In Journey of the Bitterroot Grizzly Bear, author Steve Nadeau creates a compelling insider's look at a unique grassroots recovery effort that encouraged leaders in conservation, industry, and government to collaborate on a proposal unlike any other in Endangered Species history. In the West, politics often override scientific judgments, but the demise of this optimistic proposal was not necessarily a defeat for grizzlies. Alongside the author's historical account of the recovery effort, Nadeau weaves a fascinating tale of the journey of BB, a remarkable young grizzly and recovery pioneer who survived the gauntlet in his travels from the Canadian border to central Idaho. He became the first grizzly in 60 years to find his home in the 5500 square miles of wilderness landscape in central Idaho, and his path marked the way for other bears to follow. Biologists, students, and others will enjoy this close-up look at the beauty and mystery of grizzly bears, as well as the science, conflict, and politics surrounding them as they attempt to establish a new home in the "wildest heart" of the American West".

Includes index of names, organizations, and abbreviations; bibliographic information; timeline; maps, illustrations, photos; and glossary of terms.

Contents

Foreword 13
Acknowledgements 17
List of Abbreviations 19

Prologue: In the Realm of Grizzly Bears – A Unique Recovery Effort from an Insider's Perspective 21
1 The Den 27
2 Bears and Me 31
3 BB: The Early Years 57
4 History of Grizzly Bears in the Bitterroots 75
5 BD Grows 83
6 The Recovery Effort Gets Underway in the Bitterroots 89
7 BB Gets an Education 109
8 Creating the Bitterroot Chapter of the Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan 115
9 Alone 137
10 The Next Step: The Draft Environmental Impact Statement 143
11 BB on the Move 159
12 Competing Proposals: Learning Politics the Hard Way 165
13 BB Reaches the Bitterroots 179
14 Idaho Department of Fish and Game Politics 189
15 BB Enters the Recovery Area 207
16 The Final EIS Conundrum 213
17 BB Finds a Home 221
18 Fine-Tuning the Final EIS 229
19 The Darkness Finds BB 247
20 The Death of Recovery and the Bitterroot Bear 253
21 The Hunter 263
22 My Final Days 269
23 Epilogue: The Bitterroot Bear Returns, On Its Own Terms 277

Appendices
Appendix A: Index of Names Used in the Narrative 289
Appendix B: List of Organizations and Individuals 292
Appendix C: Timeline 297
Appendix D: Glossary of Terms 300
Appendix E: List of Figures 304
Appendix F: Maps 305

Notes 307
Photo Gallery 311
About the Author 321

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Biography

Biologist and author Steve Nadeau was born in central Maine and grew up in Northern Maine on the Canadian border exploring the North Maine woods. He graduated from High School in 1975, the same year grizzly bears were listed under the Endangered Species Act. Bears became his totem following an encounter that set the direction of his career. He worked on the Maine bear project and moved west to work with and study grizzly bears in Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks, British Columbia and Alaska. He earned a B.S. from the University of Maine in 1980 in Wildlife Management, an M.S. from the University of Montana in 1987 studying grizzly bears in Glacier, followed by many various wildlife positions in his early career. Nadeau worked for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game for 30 years, enforcing laws, managing and researching wildlife, and focusing on large carnivores. He spent twenty of those years working on grizzly bear recovery in the Bitterroot Mountains of Central Idaho. He also was the State of Idaho's first wolf manager. Steve Nadeau lives with his wife, Kara, horses, and several pets in Boise, Idaho.