[cogitator]

What contribution do the relatively limited numbers of grizzlies make to the eco-system?

They're top predators, and omnivores; scavengers par excellence. They clean up the dead and the weak and the excess. I live in Maryland, and we could use a few more top predators around here; deer are a hazard to one's health (on the roads) and one's garden.

[Maceman]

They're top predators, and omnivores; scavengers par excellence. They clean up the dead and the weak and the excess.

But to what extent, and at what cost to human society in the lower 48? The maggots will take care of the dead quickly enough; the weak will likely die on their own.