Since 1973 there has been a shift in emphasis from the correction of problems related to food-conditioned bears to the more positive bear management objectives. These efforts include measures to increase public awareness of bear biology and habitat needs, intensified law enforcement to reduce poaching, better sanitation in both developed and backcountry areas, monitoring bear activity and behavior, and educating Yellowstone visitors and residents about safe human use in bear country. An Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee, composed of representatives of the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and the Game and Fish Departments of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming, now coordinates grizzly bear management throughout the greater Yellowstone region, where increased recreational and developmental activities compete for essential grizzly bear habitat. This competition occasionally results in human-bear conflicts that may lead to the destruction of grizzly bears and much less often to the injury or death of humans. If the greater Yellowstone ecosystem maintains sufficient habitat to support a viable grizzly population, and if bear mortalities are minimized, especially those of breeding females, it should be possible to protect and recover this threatened population.
Research is crucial to an effective, on-going wildlife management programs.
Further developing our knowledge about bears and their behavior allows managers to make sound decisions that benefit wildlife, while accommodating appropriate human activities in bear habitat. Most units contain adequate food sources to support grizzly bears in these three seasons. Scientists monitor bear reproduction and mortality to assess population trends. These are the easiest segment of the population to find and identify each year. The average litter size has increased slightly since the mid-1970s, to just over two cubs per litter, which may indicate an improvement in the nutritional state of adult females.