Grizzly Bears delisted, relisted

Grizzly bears were put back under protection by the Endangered Species Act by a U.S. District Court order Sept. 24. The ruling only affected grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, which spans through Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. Planned grizzly hunts on state lands in Wyoming and Idaho were canceled.

In July 2017, the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee, which is made of representatives from different government agencies to ensure the success of grizzly bear populations, recommended to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service to delist the bears. U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen ruled long-term threats to the recovery of grizzlies had not been considered before delisting the bears in July 2017.

The Wyoming and Idaho grizzly hunts would have been the first in the lower 48 states since spring 1991 when hunting was allowed in Montana. Wyoming planned on issuing 22 tags to hunters and Idaho planned on issuing one.

Hilary Cooley, Grizzly Bear Recovery Coordinator with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said the agency is evaluating the court order and whether it will appeal the decision. Cooley said the deadline for an appeal is in mid-December.

Grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem are a recovered population, Cooley said. And in the opinion of FWS, grizzlies should be delisted.

Federal legislation aimed to reverse Christensen’s ruling was quickly submitted. Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney introduced the “Grizzly Bear State Management Act of 2018” the day after their court order. The bill asks the secretary of the interior, former Montana representative Ryan Zinke, to reissue the FWS delisting of the bears in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem. The bill was referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Grizzly bears were put on the Endangered Species list in 1975 when the population in Yellowstone National Park was estimated to be below 140. The population goal for delisting the bears was set at 700. The current population estimate of grizzlies in Yellowstone National Park is over 700.

Grizzly bear populations are estimated by counting the number of sows with cubs seen in a particular area. This counting method is known to be conservative due to time and geographic location rules. By this type of estimation, the current population estimate of grizzlies in Yellowstone National Park is over 700.