Three of the four states that still have grizzlies in the contiguous U.S.—Wyoming, Montana and Idaho—have each taken legal actions to remove the bears from the endangered species list and take over their management. But while the brown bear populations have recovered in some of their habitats, opponents of their delisting say that it’s too soon to give their oversight to states that could allow hunting and management practices that aren’t based on science, while climate change and development are pressuring the species’ habitats and food sources.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the federal agency responsible for managing species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), recently announced that it will decide in January 2025 whether to delist grizzly bears, as requested by several states. But the states have already begun preparing for how they will proceed, anticipating the lifting of the federal restrictions. From relaxing regulations outside protected areas to introducing new provisions for handling human-bear conflicts and eventually allowing grizzly hunting, the states have ambitious, multifaceted plans to manage the iconic species. The agencies claim these efforts will better serve the economies and residents of their states while also ensuring the bears’ safety and the species’ survival.
Wyoming Governor Mike Gordon submitted a petition in January 2022 to the USFWS, requesting that the agency drop federal Endangered Species Act protections for grizzly bears in the lower 48 states and put Wyoming, Montana and Idaho in charge of the grizzlies in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE)…