Researcher ORCID Identifier

0009-0006-5027-2591

Graduation Year

2026

Document Type

Open Access Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Environmental Analysis

Reader 1

Dr. Nicholas Kacher

Reader 2

Dr. Char Miller

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Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Abstract

Throughout history, humans have drawn on beliefs about human-nature relationships to make decisions about how to manage natural resources, including endangered species such as the grizzly bear. While several studies were published on the topic in the mid-2010s after the USFWS removed the grizzly bear from — and quickly reinstated it back onto — the endangered species list, recent political and social changes have influenced the debate around grizzly bear management, as well as conservation policy broadly. This thesis describes the history of the conflict over grizzly management in the Intermountain West. This history provides context for original research using a large-sample-size directed content analysis of public comments on a USFWS proposed rule that would designate the Lower 48 population of grizzlies as a distinct population segment and increase flexibility for takes of problem bears. I examine how proximity to habitat and perceptions of ecosystem services and disservices impact tolerance toward large carnivores. I find that those living farther from grizzly habitat are more supportive of their conservation and that local stakeholders perceive a bundle of costs and benefits that is distinct from regional or national stakeholders. The presence of multiple moral frameworks in arguments for and against enhanced protections for the grizzly bear introduces the potential of new avenues for conflict management and conservation policy if policymakers can address tensions between divergent environmental values explicitly.

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