The grizzly bear will soon be delisted as an endangered species in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, according to a statement from the Department of the Interior. The area around Yellowstone National Park covers more than 20,000 square miles of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming,
The three states will now take over managing the bear’s population, which has more than tripled from fewer than 200 bears in 1975 to roughly 700 today. Grizzlies in other parts of the Lower 48 will remain protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and managed by the federal government.
“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,” said Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. “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.”
But many environmentalists and tribes oppose the delisting, citing concerns that the grizzly’s food sources are threatened by climate change and that its numbers aren’t as stable as U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports would suggest.
“We have to wait 60 days, but on the 61st day, we will sue to stop the delisting,” Matt Bishop, of the Western Environmental Law Center, a Montana-based nonprofit, told The New York Times.
At least 125 American Indian tribes have signed a treaty calling on the federal government to keep protecting the bear under the ESA. The tribes argue that the bear is sacred to their people and should not be subject to trophy hunting, which Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho all plan to allow on a limited basis. Hunting will not be permitted within Yellowstone National Park.
Some proponents of delisting, including the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, are hopeful that other grizzly populations will be delisted next.
“This is good news for the Yellowstone grizzly and good news for the region’s ranchers,” said the association in a statement. “Secretary Zinke and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service deserve credit for today’s action, and we urge them to now take similar steps to remove other grizzly populations throughout the West from federal ESA protection.”