Living with Predators: A 20-Year Case Study in the Blackfoot River Watershed of Montana

Abstract

AbstractThis chapter describes 20 years of efforts to live with large carnivores in the Blackfoot watershed located in western Montana with a focus on the processes and projects that were developed to adapt to the presence of grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) and gray wolves (Canis lupus) under the capacity of a non-governmental organization called the Blackfoot Challenge. Initial efforts were focused on generating a shared understanding of the problem, engaging community members in the co-generation of data, and designing an inclusive decision-making process that led to the adoption of a suite of tools that represented the values of stakeholders who represented communities of place and interest. Between 2003 and 2018, damages and livestock depredations by grizzlies tended to remain below 10 conflicts per year. Confirmed and probable livestock depredations show a low level of 1.8 annual livestock losses per year to grizzlies. Between 2007 and 2020, the wolf population increased and eventually leveled off, while livestock losses to wolves remained low. Annual confirmed livestock losses to wolves have been 3.3 livestock per year with less than four wolves removed annually due to depredations in the core project area. The central lesson of this effort is that living with large carnivores requires bringing people together to build trust, to generate a shared understanding of the problem using science, and to develop a participatory and equitable approach for changing practices and adopting tools that foster coexistence with carnivores.