Wildlife advocates have notified the federal government they plan to legally challenge its authorization of bear baiting on National Forest System lands in Idaho and Wyoming as violations of the Endangered Species Act. WildEarth Guardians and Western Watersheds Project cite harms to protected grizzly bears and new science on impacts to grizzlies from baiting. The notice starts a 60-day timeline, after which they will formally file the complaint. The U.S. Forest Service used to manage and restrict bear baiting on Forest Service lands, but in 1995 the agency adopted a “hands-off” policy that defers management of the practice to individual states. Most western states, including Montana, Washington, and Oregon, have banned the practice, but Idaho and Wyoming still allow it. Additionally, the groups say the Forest Service exempts bear baiting in Idaho and Wyoming from its food storage rules, counter to the purpose of those orders to protect bears and the public. The groups are asking the Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to revisit the issue and complete a new, updated analysis on the impacts of allowing black bear baiting on National Forest lands in the two states and, in particular, allowing baiting in areas occupied by threatened grizzly bears.
- National Elk Refuge February 2026 Biological Update: Mild Winter Persists in Jackson Hole - February 9, 2026
- Wyoming Game and Fish Hosts Workshops on Elk Feedground Management Action Plans - February 9, 2026
- Jackson Town Council Considers Unmet Housing Grant Application for S4 Flats on January 20th - January 20, 2026