Monuments to grizzly deaths

In Montana, that vehicle-sized object jumping into the lane ahead could be a grizzly.

There have been enough collisions with the bears that the nonprofit Great Bear Foundation, based in Missoula, Mont., has proposed placing markers where grizzlies have been killed, similar to the white crosses marking where people have died in traffic accidents.

The project is the idea of Chuck Jonkel, the group’s president and a renowned bear researcher.

He plans on having a metal bear silhouette crafted for use as a roadside marker.

Jonkel, a former professor at the University of Montana, said there are at least eight sites near Yellowstone and Glacier national parks where grizzlies have been killed by motorists.

He said the markers would serve two purposes: to remind drivers about the closeness of nature, and heighten their awareness that a bear could be crossing the road.

-- J. Michael Kennedy