Northern Rockies Grizzlies: Biology, Ecology, and Policy

Northern Rockies Grizzly Bear

Along with two student groups, the University of Idaho Environmental Club and Student Organization for People and the Environment, Friends of the Clearwater (FOC) is hosting two regionally respected researchers well-versed in the issues that revolve around grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis) in the Northern Rockies region. The program will be presented on Thursday, March 26, at 7 p.m. in Room 40 of the Teaching and Learning Center in the Idaho Commons at the University of Idaho.

Dr. Lynne Nelson, Associate Professor of Cardiology at Washington State University’s (WSU) College of Veterinary Medicine, studies the physiology of hibernating mammals, particularly the cardiac adaptation of grizzly bears during their hibernation period. She received a bachelor’s degree in wildlife biology and a doctorate of veterinary medicine from Auburn University before pursuing private veterinary practice then a combined residency program in both internal medicine and cardiology at Iowa State University. A former FOC board president, Lynne is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine and a member of both the International Association for Bear Research and Management and the International Bear Association’s focus group on bears and climate change. For this public education event, Dr. Nelson will describe the WSU Bear Research, Education, and Conservation Center, where she and her colleagues study all aspects of bears from physiology to nutritional ecology to resource sharing among bears and humans.

Writer David Knibb is a former forester and lawyer with an extensive background and publications elucidating environmental and public land issues. His first book in this field, Backyard Wilderness: The Alpine Lakes Story, detailed the congressional campaign that culminated in establishment of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. As the author of Grizzly Wars: The Public Fight Over the Great Bear, published by Eastern Washington University Press in October 2008, Mr. Knibb emphasizes the policies and political arguments involved in attempts to recover grizzly bears through the Endangered Species Act. He will offer an overview of these efforts and focus on the proposed reintroduction in the Selway-Bitterroot ecosystem, the recent Yellowstone delisting decision, and the likely future of grizzly bear recovery in the Northern Rockies.