This story is adapted from the MT Lowdown, a weekly newsletter digest containing original reporting and analysis published every Friday.Twenty-one grizzly bear deaths have been reported to wildlife managers to date in 2024, according to a dashboard Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks unveiled Monday. In a press release, FWP Chief of Conservation Policy Quentin Kujala described the online tool as part of a larger effort to increase public awareness of the circumstances surrounding grizzly bear deaths.“It will also help reinforce our consistent message of securing attractants and being bear aware to avoid conflicts,” Kujala wrote.Alongside the deceased bear’s sex and location, the agency dashboard lists the date of the death and a short descriptor of its suspected or confirmed cause. Mortalities on tribally-managed land are not included.A new tool launched by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks allows members of the public to track where and when grizzly bears have died in Montana. The tool’s launch comes as the state of Montana seeks to demonstrate to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that it can manage a sustainable population of the conservation-reliant, conflict-prone animals, which were listed as protected under the federal Endangered Species Act in 1975. Part of FWP’s effort to resume state management of grizzlies involves persuading federal regulators that there won’t be a dramatic increase in human-caused mortalities upon delisting.About a third of the deaths reported so far in 2024 related to livestock attacks or bears that had been drawn to unsecured attractants — things like trash, beehives, bird feeders and pet food. As of Step. 27, two deaths are listed as being under investigation and another two listed as illegal killings. The most recent bear death, reported on Aug. 28, involved a train or vehicle collision in Lewis and Clark County. The web dashboard is available here. The post FWP web dashboard lets users track grizzly bear deaths appeared first on Montana Free Press.