Is the grizzly's future bare in Yellowstone?

A court hearing over whether grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park, and its surrounding area, should be taken off the Endangered Species List has been going on.

Since the bear was taken off the list over a year ago, its population has grown by about 7 percent. Some say this shows the animal is thriving.

But, hundreds of thousands of Whitebark Pine trees have died in the park in the past two decades and the tree's nuts are a stable in many grizzlies' diets. So, the other side of the argument is that, because the bears main food source is diminishing, they will be looking for food elsewhere which will bring them into contact with humans more often.

Area farmers already face the problem of keeping the bears from their livestock.

It seems that, no matter the bear's condition, someone should address the problem of the dying pine trees. Just a thought...

Here's a couple of interesting stories on the topic:

From the National Parks Traveller

From Scientific American