Grizzlies will continue to be protected under the Endangered Species Act. That’s the announcement from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which had been considering whether to remove those protections as populations recover, specifically in and around Yellowstone and Glacier national parks.
There are an estimated 2,000 grizzlies in the lower 48 states, up from about 700 bears in 1975, but just a fraction of the estimated 50,000 that once roamed the American West from Texas to Canada and across to the Pacific coastline. Hunting pushed the animals to the brink of extinction before protections were put in place.
The National Parks Conservation Association lauded the decision.
“However, with threats remaining, including a lack of genetic connectivity between Glacier, Grand Teton and Yellowstone grizzlies and problematic state laws and policies in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, we still do not have a clear path to recovery,” said Allison Michalski, Northern Rockies Connectivity Program Manager for the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA).
Federal scientists concluded that there are healthy populations of grizzlies in Yellowstone and Glacier national parks. But concerns remain that lifting protections could push the bears back to the brink, especially as they try to navigate the accelerating impacts of climate change and manmade pressures.
“There’s no denying the Biden administration jammed this through with 12 days to go knowing it’s a blatantly political play to appease radical environmentalists,” U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT) told the Associated Press. “Thankfully the political hands pulling the strings at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are about to be fired.”
National Park News
