Adult grizzly tracks were spotted near the Eaglenest Trail neighborhood and the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center on Tuesday. The subdivision is less than 10 miles southwest of Powell.

“The area isn’t great habitat for bears and is a bit of a concern for us,” said Wyoming Game and Fish Department Bear Wise Coordinator Dusty Lasseter. “It’s a lose-lose situation: It’s not good for people and its not good for grizzly bears.”

Game and Fish biologists have set a trap for the bear, but had yet to capture it by press deadline Wednesday. Lasseter said 2019 has been a relatively quiet year for grizzly conflicts, partly due to the weather. “This year’s moisture has helped,” he said, “providing plenty of natural food sources for bears.”

Lasseter said the Cody-based bear response team has been forced to trap bears in the area before — “It’s a symptom of a growing and expanding bear population,” he said — but it has been a few years since they’ve caught one.

Residents of the area need to be diligent because the population of grizzlies is growing, Lasseter said. On Sept. 24, an archery hunter killed a grizzly during a close encounter near Bearcreek, Montana — and Game and Fish biologists were forced to euthanize a grizzly near the Clarks Fork River after repeated agricultural damage and concerns about human safety.

So far in 2019, seven grizzlies have been euthanized inside the core bear habitat known as the demographic monitoring area (DMA) after conflicts, 11 grizzlies have been euthanized outside the the DMA and another three have been killed in automobile accidents. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service makes the final call in all management decisions while the species is listed for protection under the Endangered Species Act.

If you spot a grizzly bear in a residential area, Lasseter asks that you contact the Cody Game and Fish office at 307-527-7125.