Every fall, grizzly bear biologists and the bears themselves take a keen interest in whether whitebark pine trees have had a good crop of pine nuts. The answer has profound implications for the welfare of bears.

This fall, the evidence is that the pine nut crop was very good indeed, which means happy, healthy bears and fewer headaches for bear biologists throughout the greater Yellowstone ecosystem.

A good whitebark pine nut crop tends to keep bears up in the high country, away from people and the temptations found where people live, work and play - livestock pastures, orchards and household garbage.

"We've had no bear mortalities within the park," said Kerry Gunther, bear management biologist for Yellowstone National Park.

That good news for bears means a little bit of bad news for visitors to Yellowstone: The bears are harder to see this fall than in past autumns, when there have been poor whitebark pine nut crops. In those years, bears sought food at lower elevations.

For more details read Thursday's Casper Star-Tribune.