The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service yesterday revised the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife to again include grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem for protection under the Endangered Species Act.
The action was taken to comply with a September 24th Montana District Court order. Grizzly bears in the United States and outside of Alaska are primarily found in six ecosystems: the Greater Yellowstone, the Northern Cascades, the Bitterroot, the Northern Continental Divide, and the Cabinet-Yaak. Upon reviewing the best available scientific and commercial data, the Service had found that grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone area had indeed experienced robust population growth and state and federal agencies were cooperating to manage bear mortality and habitat.
Grizzly bears in the Yellowstone area were delisted in June of 2017 while those found in the five other ecosystems remained protected. Then six lawsuits challenging the Service’s decision were filed in federal courts in Missoula, Montana and Chicago, Illinois.
The Chicago lawsuit was transferred to the court in Missoula which ultimately decided there is widespread public support for grizzly bear conservation, and that the Service should continue to collaborate with state, federal, non-governmental, and tribal partners manage the bear as an endangered species.
Both of Wyoming’s US Senators have expressed extreme disappointment in the decision, saying the bear in this ecosystem is recovered and management of the species belongs in the hands of the states in which the ecosystem lies.
Griz Back On List
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