Michael Bogan, Javan Bauder

The Navajo Nation Department of Fish and Wildlife identified the American black bear (Ursus americanus) as a priority species due to increasing human-bear conflict and limited population information across the Navajo Nation. The Chuska Mountains, a remote mountain range located along the Arizona-New Mexico border in the southwestern United States, provide important habitat for black bears. However, the last formal study in this region occurred in the 1980s. The objectives of this study are to estimate black bear abundance in the Chuska Mountains, document the cultural significance of black bears to Navajo communities, and gain a better understanding of patterns of human-bear interactions on the Navajo Nation. During the summer of 2024, we deployed 36 noninvasive hair snare stations in the northern Chuska Mountains and obtained microsatellite genotypes from 711 samples, identifying 62 individual bears. An additional 72 hair snare sites were deployed in the central and southern Chuska Mountains during the summer of 2025. These data will be used to estimate black bear abundance using spatial capture-recapture models to inform future management and conflict mitigation efforts. To explore cultural and community perspectives, we conducted 15 semi-structured interviews with Navajo community members that highlighted the bear’s role in stories, teachings, and spiritual life. In addition, we administered a community survey on human bear interactions and received 117 responses. Preliminary results suggest regional variation in bear encounters and recurring concerns related to livestock loss. By weaving Traditional Ecological Knowledge with ecological methods, this research supports long-term wildlife management, informs conflict mitigation strategies, and offers a culturally grounded approach to human-bear coexistence on the Navajo Nation.