After five grizzly bears were shot and killed by hunting guides in Wyoming during a two-week period in September 1997, state and federal wildlife officials began urging guides and hunters to carry bear repellent spray to reduce the chances of more grizzly bear mortalities. The request was made for the safety of hunters, guides, and other backcountry users and to help reduce setbacks to the recovery of the threatened grizzly bear in the Yellowstone Grizzly Bear Ecosystem, according to Dave Moody, chief bear biologist for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Too Many Trails Estimates for the number of miles of trails in Glacier National Park is more than 700 miles and more than 1,200 miles of trails in Yellowstone National Park. The presence of roads in grizzly bear habitat poses serious threats to the safety of grizzlies and displaces them from their habitat. Grizzly bears are known to avoid areas with greater than 1 mile of road per square mile of area.
Roads also provide access to poachers who kill grizzly bears for various reasons.
Hundreds of miles of trails in Glacier and Yellowstone National Park bring thousands of hikers and backpackers each summer. There are effects on grizzly bears from the presence of these trails and from those of us who use them. Backcountry campers attract bears with their food. For more on Grizzly Bear Encounters and Attacks go to that page. Any plans to remove the threatened status of the grizzly bear in any grizzly bear ecosystem are very short-sighted.