Efforts to trap this grizzly have been unsuccessful in the Many Glacier Campground at Glacier National Park, but the bruin seems to have left the area/Photo Courtesy D. Hanlon

Restrictions against tents and soft-sided campers have been lifted at Many Glacier Campground in Glacier National Park, but park visitors have to be much better at storing their coolers and foods to keep them out of reach of park bears, according to rangers.

The park had instituted the restrictions June 30 after a grizzly entered the campground and snatched some trout away from campers. The bear, estimated to weigh about 150 pounds, roamed into the campground Friday morning and approached a picnic table where two campers were cleaning two brook trout they had caught.

Efforts to trap the bear were unsuccessful. The park will continue to monitor for unusual grizzly bear behavior in the Many Glacier area. The same bear involved in the Many Glacier Campground incident was reported on the Swiftcurrent Nature Trail several days earlier. At that time, the bear was not exhibiting aggressive behavior, but was reportedly unafraid of visitors.

The park takes a proactive approach to food storage, and urges visitors to follow proper food storage protocols to prevent bears from obtaining human food and becoming food conditioned. Over a two day period this last weekend, rangers made 19 contacts for food storage violations, issuing both citations and warnings. They confiscated 12 unattended coolers from parking areas, and moved unattended food to bear boxes at 2 campsites.

The park welcomes bear sighting reports from visitors at ranger stations to help monitor bear activity.