In the predawn hours before the community was fully awake, a speeding ambulance working to provide emergency care struck and killed a grizzly bear west of the Mission Mountains in the fall of 2020. Leading up to that encounter, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks had tracked this matriarch bear, named Griz-40, for nearly two decades as she navigated her way around humans without being classified as a “conflict bear” (defined differently by agency; generally, a bear creating conflict with humans or human infrastructure or livestock). Her unfortunate death demonstrates the challenges of navigating transportation needs and the complex natural ecology of the state representing the need for action in an expanding, connected world.
For centuries, grizzly bears have participated as critical components of complex ecosystems that now range from Alaska through Canada and into Montana. As communities and resulting transportation needs expand, the relationship between people and bears also evolves, often resulting in a fractured and shrinking habitat for these apex predators. Herrera is pioneering solutions that accommodate both humans and nature. In our efforts to support wildlife-friendly infrastructure, Herrera biologist Sue Wall recalls her history and involvement with the United States Route 93 project in Montana.
United States Route (US) 93 is a well-established transportation corridor, with Americans Lewis and Clark first traversing it over 200 years ago and traffic only increasing from that point forward. However, the highway improvements in this century, specifically, continue Montanans’ longstanding appreciation for the natural landscape surrounding them. The route has undergone significant change over the time leading up to the new millennia, but since 2000, the footprint of the roadway upon the landscape that it is impacting has drawn focus.
Herrera’s involvement in US 93 improvements started about twenty years ago with an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) from North of Missoula to Polson that covered a roughly 40-mile span of highway. That stretch of highway was improved except for a section through the Ninepipe area because wetlands and boggy soil created challenging conditions to design around. The EIS at the time included a wildlife crossing and Herrera was not only on the EIS team, but also helped with permitting. For some time afterward, the project largely paused until Herrera was asked to be part of a team with Robert Peccia and Associates (RPA) to conduct a feasibility study for the Ninepipe section. RPA asked Herrera’s biology experts (including Sue) to return to document wetland and wildlife habitat. The more recent request provided Herrera with an exciting opportunity to see the improvements on the roadway move forward.
The region between the Mission Mountains and the Flathead River in Montana is prairie interspersed with pothole lakes and ponds- traces of the last glaciers receding from the region at the end of the last ice age. It's an area that houses flora and fauna that Sue is acquainted with. Waterfowl production areas including the Ninepipe Reservoir contribute to the support of the species diversity in the corridor. US 93 divides the Ninepipe area, running north to south. Griz-40 was near this area when she was fatally struck. As an active part of the corridor environment, grizzly like to forage here as they pass through.
While there are vehicle impacts with other animals, bears are a particularly large challenge; they’re much harder to ignore. However, cougar, elk, birds and turtles are also included in the mix of fauna threatened by US 93. Motorists create an entirely different threat when they stop to assist crossing turtles, creating a collision hazard for both the turtle and humans.
The death of Griz-40 and other wildlife highlights the need for innovative solutions to address transportation infrastructure while keeping wildlife in mind. Stay tuned for Bridging Wildlife and Roads: Part 2, to learn how Herrera and other agencies have designed US 93 in Montana to prioritize the local ecosystem.
Contributor: Sue Wall, PWS
