EDMONTON - A coalition of wildlife and environmental groups is calling on the Alberta government to do more to ensure there is growth in the population of the province's grizzly bears.
The group calling itself Action Grizzly Bear wants Premier Ed Stelmach to require immediate action from Sustainable Resource Development Minister Ted Morton.
The group wants the province to declare grizzly bears an endangered species, among other things.
Dianne Pachal of the Sierra Club of Canada, one of the members of Action Grizzly Bear, says grizzlies are a scientifically recognized indicator of environmental health.
She says recovery action for the species is long overdue.
The province says a sustainable grizzly population can be maintained by restricting roads in rural areas and reducing encounters with people.
At one time experts estimated there were more than 1,000 grizzlies in Alberta outside of national parks. In 2000 the province suggested the number was 841.
After four years of counting, the government says biologists have found only 230 grizzlies, but that does not include the bears in the area that extends from Highway 16 north to Grande Prairie, which is still being surveyed.
Gord Stenhouse, chairman of Alberta's grizzly bear recovery team, has speculated there may be fewer than 500 grizzlies left in Alberta.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature states that if the number of mature breeding individuals is less than 1,000, the population is considered "threatened." If the numbers is less than 250, the population is considered "endangered."
Alberta has suspended its spring grizzly bear hunt until at least next year, but Morton has said that he won't consider listing the species as a threatened or endangered until the count is completed in 2009.
Carl Morrison of Action Grizzly Bear said the province should dedicate more funding to grizzly recovery and legislate habitat protection through more land in parks and reduced density of roads and seismic lines.
"Plus, we're asking that BearSmart and other similar programs to reduce human caused bear deaths be fully staffed and funded," Morrison said.
Action Grizzly Bear includes the Sierra Club of Canada, Defenders of Wildlife, the Federation of Alberta Naturalists, the Alberta Wilderness Association, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, the Natural Resources Defence Council and the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative.
