Wildlife Photographer Josh Westerhold has been "shooting" Grizzlies since his college days..............He, like the NRDC and certain other conservation groups are convinced that Grizzly federal delisting in the Greater Yellowstone system is likely premature given the demise of the Whitebark Pine trees.........Whitebark pine seeds are essential for many birds and animals............... For bears, they are a rich, preferred food source that provide a high calorie content — more calories per pound than chocolate — that is vital for hibernation................... In bumper crop seasons for whitebark cones, they can dominate the food habits of bears for the entire next year.................. In bad years for whitebark pine, according to Josh, you can fairly accurately predict the increased number of incidents of grizzly and human interactions, as the bears travel down the mountains for food...............The Conservation Group, The American Forests and it's Endangered Western Forests initiative is a collaborative program designed to find solutions to the demise of this iconic tree............They have already planted 100,000 naturally resistant White Bark trees with more to come...................Says Josh---"I love grizzlies because they are what make the wilderness wild, but they're a threatened species"..... "The survival of the bears is an indicator of the health of the environment and how we've taken care of the forests"....................Could not have said it better myself!

To Save the Bears, We Need to Save the Forests By NAPS.com North American Precis Syndicate  Josh Westerhold, 36, is a grizzly bear hunter. His weapon  is a camera.  And over the years, he's shot grizzlies by the dozens. Despite growing up in Cody, Wyo., Josh did not catch grizzly fever until  his college days during hikes and mountain  trips with  friends. It was then that he learned how and where to find the  threatened bears by talking with hunting outfitters, U.S. Forest Service  members and fish and game experts. The key piece of advice was to  go where the bears  go for food. In the Mountain West, this meant at  or above the timberline,  as grizzlies feed on seeds from whitebark pines  growing there. Whitebark pine seeds are essential for many birds  and animals. For bears,  they are a rich, preferred food source that provide a high  calorie content  — more calories per pound than chocolate — that is vital  for hibernation.  In bumper crop seasons for whitebark cones, they can dominate the food habits of bears for the entire next year. In bad years for  whitebark pine, according to Josh, you can fairly accurately predict the  increased number of incidents of grizzly and human interactions, as the bears  travel down the mountains for food. With this knowledge, Josh began finding grizzlies —  lots of them — and took  to photography to illustrate these amazing sights. "I kept  telling people about all the stuff I was seeing, and I realized I needed  to document it. I was witnessing things like 35 grizzlies in one place -  males, females and cubs all together. Because of the abundant food  source, they're pretty tolerant of each other. It is very unusual." But things are changing in the West, including in the  iconic Greater Yellowstone Area, Josh says. "Over the course of the  last decade, I've seen the progressive deterioration of the forest. Not just the whitebark pine, but the whole upper canopy, right at the  timberline. In certain drainages, more trees are dead than alive." What Josh is seeing, according to Dr. Bob Keane, American Forests Science Advisory Board member and U.S. Forest Service research ecologist, is the  combined impact of mountain pine beetles, white pine blister rust and excessive past fire suppression. "We are seeing an  urgent situation in the process of turning catastrophic," says Dr. Keane.  "In the last decade of warmer summers and winters, the decline of this  critical ecosystem has  greatly accelerated in all parts of whitebark pine's  range." It is estimated  that 41.7 million acres of pine forests in more than  10 states are dying due  to abnormally large mountain pine beetle outbreaks. These affected forests contain the headwaters of some of America's most  prominent rivers, which serve as major water resources for more than 33  million people in 16 states,  including cities like Los Angeles. The whitebark pine is a keystone species critical to the health of these  at-risk, high-elevation ecosystems. The American Forests Endangered Western Forests initiative is a collaborative program designed to find  solutions to and address these threats. Funded  in part by a U.S. Forest Service grant, the initiative has created a partnership betweenAmerican Forests, federal agencies, local communities and other nonprofits to protect  and restore forest ecosystems in the West  devastated by these threats. The initial phase of the initiative is focused on  the Greater Yellowstone Area by planting 100,000 naturally disease-resistant whitebark pines and protecting another 10,000 with pheromone patches. The program is  supporting researchers and scientists testing the best techniques for  rehabilitation; managers implementing these  restoration actions on the forests, their threats and the  level of damage. The organization has a track  record of success in these  areas and has planted 125,000 whitebark pines  since 2010. "We are at a critical point in ensuring the future  of these beloved forests, " says Dr. Keane. "With new research and  management techniques, we hope to restore whitebark pine across most  of its range and, in turn, create resilient landscapes that can weather  future climate change, but  time is of the essence." And not just for the forests, but for the species  that make their homes there. The Greater Yellowstone Area is home  to approximately half of the  threatened grizzlies found in the lower 48 states. "I love grizzlies because they are what make  the wilderness wild, but  they're a threatened species," says Josh. "The survival of the bears is an indicator of the health of the environment  and how we've taken care of the  forests." To learn more about the American Forests Endangered Western Forests initiative, visit the website  www.americanforests.org/EWF or  call 202-737-1944. Please support  the work of this initiative and help  save our western forests. Your contribution can make a critical difference.