The Grizzly Among Us
As grizzly conflict moves from the backcountry to the backyard, three bear managers dedicate their lives to keeping Montana connected for those on two legs, and on four.
As grizzly bears push beyond the protected strongholds of Glacier National Park and into an increasingly crowded Montana, three bear managers find themselves on the front lines of a changing West. In the north, Justine Vallieres responds as bears move into new communities. Farther south, Payton Adams works with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes to reduce conflict and protect the wildlife corridors bears need to keep moving. Near Missoula, veteran manager Jamie Jonkel carries decades of hard-earned knowledge as he nears the end of his career.
Together, their stories trace a potential path from the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem toward the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, a connection critical to long-term grizzly recovery. Along the way, The Grizzly Among Us examines conflict, coexistence, and the practical solutions already taking shape, asking what it will take for people and wildlife to share a landscape both are struggling to navigate.