The stage is set for a historic reconnection of grizzly populations across the Northern Rockies. Grizzly bears from Yellowstone are expanding westward into the High Divide, a region of public and private lands that serves as a vital link between Yellowstone and the Bitterroot Ecosystem. If current trends persist, grizzly bears from the Greater Yellowstone and Northern Continental Divide, including Glacier National Park, will converge in the Bitterroots, restoring grizzlies to this vast landscape and genetically reconnecting grizzly populations across the Northern Rockies. 

This would mark a crowning achievement in conservation history, yet serious threats loom on the horizon. Working ranchlands, which provide critical habitat for grizzlies and other wildlife, are under pressure from human population growth. Exurban sprawl is encroaching on crucial grasslands, sagebrush, and winter range habitats, severing the corridors necessary for wildlife migration and grizzly expansion. As wildlife are confined to fewer ranches, conflicts increase, jeopardizing the delicate economics of ranching and fueling further habitat loss.