And even those last few remaining wild places that the grizzly relies on for its survival are under attack. Habitat protection is the key to the grizzly's future. In the 20 years since it was listed as a threatened species, habitat critical to its survival has been steadily eroded through timber cutting, forest road building, oil and gas drilling and private land development. Timber cutting and road building displace bears and fragment their habitat. It means reduced cover, reduced food sources and increased interaction with humans.
Roads create the largest single threat facing grizzly bears today.
Roads being built into the core roadless areas critical to grizzly bear survival result in greater human access and increased bear mortality. Thousands of acres of bear habitat have been logged since they were listed in 1975 and even more are scheduled to be cut in the near future. Oil and gas development further jeopardizes the grizzly's future. The web of pipelines, powerlines, roads and well pads makes habitat unusable to grizzlies. Over 200 oil and gas wells have been drilled in the Greater Yellowstone area and the Forest Service has recently called for opening up 95 percent of the land on the Shoshone and Beaverhead national forests to oil and gas leasing.