The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced a decision and proposed rule in response to state petitions that requested the removal of federal Endangered Species Act protections for grizzly bears in the lower 48 states.
The Service decided to keep grizzlies protected as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act while also proposing a rule to loosen restrictions on when grizzly bears can be killed.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says the proposed new rule will protect grizzly bears as a single population in Idaho, Washington, Montana and Wyoming. At the same time, language in the rule offers land owners and land management agencies some flexibility to deal with problem animals.
Idaho has an estimated grizzly bear population of 200 animals with the majority located near Yellowstone National Park.
Idaho Governor Brad Little released a statement criticizing the proposal, and instructed the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and Office of Species Conservation to fully examine the proposed rule in an attempt to find the rationale behind the federal agency’s decision, which he says seemingly disregards the science and the collective efforts of stakeholders that have led to the successful recovery and conservation of grizzly bears.
The state of Idaho sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2023 over the Biden Administration’s failure to remove grizzly bears from the endangered species list.
