Recovery has been slow for the grizzly bear, which 25 years ago today was protected under the Endangered Species Act in the lower 48 states. About 1,200 grizzlies roam the continental U.S. today, up from 600 in 1975 but far below the 50,000 estimated to have been living west of the Mississippi 200 years ago. One of the latest threats to grizzlies are “modem cowboys,” who telecommute and accelerate sprawl in areas frequented by bears such as Bozeman, Mont., and Cody, Wyo. American efforts to restore grizzly populations are also hampered by Canada’s lack of protection for the bears; those that wander north of the border can be shot with no repercussions.
