Grizzlies: A 'Renewable Resource'?

by Dave Stalling

I just read an article in Petersen's Hunting called "Should We Hunt Grizzly Bears?" by David Hart. It's packed with the usual fear-mongering myths, lies and misconceptions about grizzlies. He quotes Mac Minard, Executive Director of the Montana Outfitter and Guides Association: "They should be hunted because they are a renewable resource."

A "renewable resource"? Grizzly bears? Rugs? Claws? A commodity?

Here's another quote, this one from the late Aldo Leopold: "We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect."

A "renewable resource"? There's no love and respect in that. It's time we start honoring the Great Bear and showing them the respect they deserve.