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This area is critical habitat for recovery of the grizzly bear. To protect the area, the U.S. Forest Service should recommend it for the highest level of protection - as a designated Wilderness Area.
 Off-road vehicle use is running roughshod over forest management in the Shoshone, part of the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem. Activists conducted a survey of Beartooth and discovered that a group of ORVers had put $40,000 into developing a road in a roadless area to create their own playground. Snowmobile users were allowed to cut 150 trees to build a trail - with permission from the forest management, but without following the requirements of the National Environmental Protection Act.
The Sierra Club has led outings into the area and presented slide shows to educate the public about its value as wildlife habitat. There was also a "bear discovery tour" on the north fork of the Shoshone, to teach folks about grizzly bear behavior.
 What
you can do: Activists have held some meetings with forest supervisors
about options for protection of the Beartooth Plateau. Learn how
you can get involved by sending an email to Tracie Weber at tracie.weber@sierraclub.org,
or call her at (307) 672-0425.
Photo courtesy Kirk Koepsel.
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