Great Bear Foundation PROJECT BRIEF

For those who live on the edge of wild country, fruit trees can bring unwanted guests. In grizzly country, fall apple season can be a dangerous time, as bears hurry to stockpile calories and struggle to steer clear of yards and orchards offering easy picking. To keep bears from obtaining these food rewards and becoming habituated to populated areas, prompt harvesting and pickup of unwanted fruit is a key coexistence practice.

For many years, Vital Ground has supported the Great Bear Foundation‘s efforts in the Missoula foothills to organize community volunteer-driven apple pickups. Recent years have seen 10,000-20,000 pounds of fruit gleaned each fall, with the program reaching as far west as the key Ninemile linkage area. We’ve supported their expansion into the Bitterroot Valley, where grizzlies are beginning to reconnect historic range in Montana and Idaho. In 2024, the Great Bear Foundation also focused on buffer zones around Missoula, the Rattlesnake and Grant Creek neighborhoods and hired a new program coordinator. Their work across these valleys will keep these groundbreaking bears out of yards and moving deeper into the wild country that is vital to long-term connectivity goals.