Grizzly Bear Use of Army Cutworm Moth Aggregations in Glacier National Park

Erik Peterson, a M.S. Graduate from Washington State University, speaks about grizzly bear use of army cutworm moth aggregations In Glacier National Park. Army cutworm moths (Euxoa auxilliaris, ACM), are migratory insects, splitting their annual lifecycle between low elevation plains/basin habitats and high elevation mountain talus slopes. They have a propensity to aggregate in great numbers (like an army) wherever they occur during their annual life cycle. Due to the moths’ colossal aggregating habit, talus slopes where ACMs occur present a food buffet for grizzly bears, much like a huckleberry patch, where they can feed on up to 40,000 moths per day (an equivalent of a 20,000 calorie/day diet). For his thesis, Erik evaluated foraging sites across high elevation talus slopes throughout Glacier and assessed key environmental drivers of grizzly bear foraging to refine predictive habitat modeling and quantify the seasonal importance of ACM’s to grizzly bear diets in the region.

[rockie]

What about pesticides and such? What's the chance of chemicals from the low farmlands making it into the wilderness? I just watched 15 grizzly feeding at one peak in wyoming never crossed my mind the moths were from hundreds of miles away.