(1) Upon delisting from the Endangered Species Act, management of the grizzly bear and its habitat in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE) will be guided by the Conservation Strategy for Grizzly Bears in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE Conservation Strategy). The department and federal land management agencies will endorse and commit themselves to the NCDE Conservation Strategy by entering into a memorandum of understanding detailing their agreement to implement it. The department will be a signatory to the implementation memorandum.

(2) When and so long as the NCDE Conservation Strategy is in effect, the department and the commission shall, within their lawful authority to do so, maintain the recovered status of the grizzly bear in the NCDE by implementing interagency cooperation, population and habitat management and monitoring, and other provisions of the NCDE Conservation Strategy in accordance with the responsibilities described therein.

(3) Specific to population management in the NCDE, as described in the NCDE Conservation Strategy, the commission specifically adopts the following demographic objectives. The department shall:

(a) maintain a well-distributed grizzly bear population within the demographic monitoring area as described in the NCDE Conservation Strategy and maintain the documented presence of females with offspring in at least 21 of 23 bear management units of the primary conservation area and in at least six of seven occupancy units of Zone 1 at least every six years. Adherence to this objective will be evaluated by monitoring the presence of females with offspring (cubs, yearlings, or 2-year-olds) within defined geographic units of the NCDE;

(b) manage mortalities from all sources to support an estimated probability of at least 90% that the grizzly bear population within the demographic monitoring area remains above 800 bears, considering the uncertainty associated with all of the demographic parameter and further manage mortality within the following threshold objectives:

(i) using a 6-year running average, maintain estimated annual survival rate of independent females within the demographic monitoring area of at least 90% and a rate at or above the minimum level consistent with a projected probability of at least 90% that the population within the demographic monitoring area will remain above 800 bears based on population modeling;

(ii) using a 6-year running average, limit annual estimated number of total reported and unreported mortalities of independent females within the demographic monitoring area to a number that is no more than 10% of the number of independent females estimated within the demographic monitoring area based on population modeling and a number that is at or below the maximum level consistent with a projected probability of at least 90% that the population within the demographic monitoring area will remain above 800 bears based on population modeling;

(iii) using a 6-year running average, limit annual estimated number of total reported and unreported mortalities of independent males within the demographic monitoring area to a number that is no more than 15% of the number of independent males estimated within the demographic monitoring area based on population modeling.

(c) monitor demographic and genetic connectivity among populations by the following means:

(i) estimating spatial distribution of the NCDE grizzly bear population biennially; and

(ii) identifying the population of origin for individuals sampled inside and outside of the demographic monitoring area to detect movements of individuals to and from other populations or recovery areas.