Bear Experts Warn Risky Bike Paths Planned in Grand Teton Park

By Rebecca Huntington

JACKSON HOLE, Wyoming, August 15, 2005 (ENS) - Building bike paths separated from roads in northwestern Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park could lead to more dangerous encounters between humans and grizzly bears and further fragment wildlife habitat in the park, bear biologists warn.

Three bear biologists - one state, one federal and one independent - all suggest that cyclists would be more likely to surprise a grizzly bear than hikers because bikes move at much higher speeds. The risk of increasing bear-human encounters would be greatest in areas where thick vegetation blocks visibility, they said.

"The bottom line is grizzly bears are there, and they need to be taken into account," said Dave Moody, trophy game coordinator for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. "You just can't blow it off ­ we've got documented bear distribution down to Jenny Lake," he said. The Jenny Lake Visitor Center is frequented by travelers, as is the nearby marina and ranger station.

Grizzly bear in Grand Teton National Park (Photo courtesy National Park Service)

The Service's preferred alternative would build 23 miles of pathways, separated from 50 feet to 150 feet from roads, in the southern end of the park. Cycling advocates are pushing for 50 miles of pathways, while conservationists want only 19 miles built.

Bear biologists said their biggest concern would not be mileage but the pathways' location. Risks of bear-human conflicts could be minimized if bike paths were built right next to roads, where bears already anticipate human activity, the biologists said. In contrast, the potential for surprise run-ins would increase in areas where pathways would be separated from roads by thick vegetation, the biologists warned.

"Those places can have dramatic impacts in increasing encounter frequencies," said Chris Servheen, grizzly bear recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

That concern has prompted Servheen to take the unusual step of writing a personal letter to the National Park Service, he said. As grizzly bear recovery coordinator for the federal wildlife agency, Servheen has spent the past decade trying to reduce human-bear conflicts and to restore the threatened species.

Sterling Miller is a senior wildlife biologist with the National Wildlife Federation and past president of the International Association for Bear Research and Management. Miller, who worked for the Alaska Department of Game and Fish for 21 years as a research wildlife biologist, recalled one incident when a grizzly chased a cyclist down a paved bike path in Anchorage.

"These things are very rare, but they do happen," he said. "It's always best when you're in grizzly habitat to avoid circumstances where you will startle a bear."

Servheen also warned that taxpayer money could be wasted if a pathway is poorly designed and has to be closed later due to wildlife-human conflicts.

Parks Canada has faced just such a dilemma with mountain bikers and bears on the Moraine Lake Highline Trail. A private consultant recommended seasonal closures during berry season after three aggressive encounters between grizzly bears and cyclists were reported on the trail near Lake Louise in Alberta's Banff National Park.

The consultant concluded that cyclists were more likely to have aggressive encounters with grizzlies than hikers since three out of four encounters reported during 1997 and 1998 involved mountain bikers, even though more hikers used the trail.

In addition, a survey of 41 mountain bikers who had interactions with both black and grizzly bears in the Calgary-Canmore region of Alberta found that 85 percent of riders reported being unaware of the bear's presence until within 165 feet (50 meters) of the bear.

Black bear in Grand Teton National Park (Photo courtesy National Park Service)

All three bear biologists stressed that bears are likely to be more startled by humans on bikes and on foot than by passing automobiles, which are more predictable.

In addition, the biologists emphasized, a separated bike path would fragment wildlife habitat and displace animals to a greater degree than concentrating human activity next to the road.

The bike path plan is part of Grand Teton National Park's overall transportation plan. The draft Environmental Impact Statement is now open for a 60 day public review. The full document is online by clicking here. A quick summary of the alternatives is found here.

Public comments may be submitted through August 25. Mail comments to: Superintendent, Grand Teton National Park, c/o Transportation Plan Draft EIS, P.O. Drawer 170, Moose, WY 83012. For further information, call 303-739-3410. Comments may also be submitted directly to the Park website by clicking here.

{Published in cooperation with the Jackson Hole News & Guide.}