Nation IN BRIEF : MONTANA : Park Reports Record Sightings of Bears

A record number of grizzly and black bear sightings have been reported at the Glacier National Park in West Glacier, Mont., but biologists said they are unsure if the bear population has changed. The park said there were 2,935 sightings of bears this year, up from 2,162 last year and breaking the record 2,895 sightings in 1987. This year’s total included 1,290 black bears and 1,318 endangered grizzlies. “It’s my feeling we can’t make any firm conclusions from those figures,” Park Service biologist Steve Gniadek said. “It could be that more were reported than in the past, or we could have more bears, or it could be that the bears are more visible.”