FWS delisting Yellowstone grizzly bears

Yellowstone grizzly bears will lose federal protections following an announcement made last week by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke. This decision comes after a lengthy – and often controversial – debate over whether the bears had fully recovered enough to be removed from the Endangered Species List. With only 136 bears in 1975, the current population has grown to roughly 700 bears, prompting the recommendation and delisting of grizzly bears within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosytem (GYE). Bears that live outside of this area remain protected.

“As a kid who grew up in Montana, I can tell you that this is a long time coming and very good news for many communities and advocates in the Yellowstone region,” Secretary Zinke said in a statement. “This achievement stands as one of America’s great conservation successes; the culmination of decades of hard work and dedication on the part of the state, tribal, federal and private partners. As a Montanan, I’m proud of what we’ve achieved together.”

The ruling, which will be published “within days” and takes effect “30 days after publication,” according to National Public Radio, transfers the management of grizzly bears within the GYE Distinct Population Segment (DPS) into the hands of state and tribal governments. The Department of Interior defines the DPS as “portions of northwestern Wyoming, southwestern Montana and eastern Idaho.” The states were required by FWS to establish a grizzly bear management plan prior to the decision.

While met with some criticism, states impacted by this decision support the delisting.

“Grizzly bears have met or exceeded recovery objectives since 2003 and have long warranted delisting. In 2013, I asked Secretary Salazar to delist the grizzly bears and much work toward this end has been done. I appreciate that the FWS is proceeding now with the delisting,” Wyoming Governor Matt Mead said in a statement. “The Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team, which includes the FWS and Wyoming Game and Fish, must be commended for its years of great work. Thanks to the team effort, grizzlies will be managed appropriately by our experts at Game and Fish. I thank all involved in the delisting effort.”