Tag Archives: Tim Manley

Tim Manley, trailblazing grizzly conflict specialist, to retire

Pioneering bear biologist Chuck Jonkel, left, with Tim Manley in 1994 near Essex - Montana FWPHere’s an excellent article about Tim Manley. Unlike several others this week, this one, by Tristan Scott of the Flathead Beacon, is not hiding behind a paywall . . .

When renowned grizzly bear biologist Tim Manley began his role as Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks’ (FWP) Grizzly Bear Management Specialist for Northwest Montana, a position he’s held since 1993, the work was funded by BNSF Railway, which faced legal mandates requiring the company to mitigate grizzly bear mortality due to its railroad operations in the region — grain spills, for example, were a lethal temptation for grizzlies browsing food sources along the Middle Fork Flathead River corridor.

Today, the human-wildlife interface is so expansive that points of conflict emerge much closer to home — quite literally in our backyards — but they’re more often the result of bird feeders, barbecue residue, chicken coops, garbage cans, and other unsecured attractants than industrial mishaps such as train derailments.

After a celebrated 37-year career with FWP, Manley recently announced his plan to retire, but it’s not for a lack of grizzly bear work to keep him busy. In fact, it’s quite the opposite, with more bears and people roaming the same landscape than ever before.

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Griz relocated to Coal Creek meets its end near Whitefish

Another case of “a fed bear is a dead bear”: The grizzly bear that was relocated to the Coal Creek area in July and soon became a nuisance near Whitefish, has been put down by Montana FWP…

Wildlife officials euthanized a male grizzly bear that was rummaging through food sources near residences outside of Whitefish, the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks announced Thursday.

FWP officials captured the 238-pound subadult male grizzly Wednesday along the Stillwater River, southwest of Whitefish near the KM Ranch Road. The bear had been moved in July from the Lincoln area into the Coal Creek Drainage of the Whitefish Range north of Columbia Falls. Over the course of a month, it crossed the Whitefish Divide and traveled along the Stillwater River between Lupfer Meadows and Lost Creek. FWP said it received numerous reports of the bear getting into livestock feed, pet food, garbage, bird feeders and apples.

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Bear specialist Tim Manley receives conservation award

Tim Manley received some well-deserved recognition recently . . .

State grizzly bear management specialist Tim Manley has been selected as the first recipient of the Bud Moore Conservation Award.

Co-sponsored by Northwest Connections, the Swan Ecosystem Center and the Vital Ground Foundation, the award recognizes individuals who have gone out of their way to work with rural residents in the conservation of natural resources.

In presenting the award, Vital Grounds executive director Gary Wolfe said Manley was selected for his leadership, holistic thinking, wildlife conservation vision and spirit of cooperation — all traits embodied by the late Bud Moore, an iconic forester and outdoorsman.

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Griz relocated to North Fork a few days ago in trouble again near Whitefish

That grizzly bear relocated into the North Fork from Lincoln a few days ago has already made its way over the Whitefish Divide and into trouble . . .

A grizzly bear that recently was moved from the Lincoln area to the North Fork Flathead drainage has showed up for trouble again, this time in a neighborhood about 10 miles north of Whitefish off U.S. 93.

The bear, a 2-year-old male weighing 150 pounds, was released in the lower Coal Creek area on July 22, but it managed to cross the Whitefish Divide and move south, turning up at the home of Carol Mystic in the Tamarack Creek area just four days later.

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