February 13, 2023 |
Wyoming has won an opening skirmish in a bid to remove the grizzly bear from the endangered species list in the lower 48 states in certain ecosystems, including the Greater Yellowstone.
After reviewing three petitions, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said that two of them, including Wyoming’s case to delist grizzlies’ Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, may warrant removal from the list of endangered and threatened wildlife.
Wyoming submitted the petition in January of 2022. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced last week that it has initiated a 12-month status review of the GYE grizzly bear.
Governor Mark Gordon welcomed the news on Friday. “Wyoming has an established framework to provide adequate protection and management of the bear in the future,” Governor Gordon said. “With state management, Wyoming remains committed to long-term grizzly bear conservation.”
Fish and Wildlife will conduct a similar 12-month status review for the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem in Montana.
The next steps include an in-depth status review and scientific analysis to arrive at a 12-month finding on whether the removal of ESA protections for grizzly bears in the NCDE and GYE are warranted. If so, removing ESA protections would then be initiated through a separate rule making process, with additional public notice and comment.
Pictured above: File photo.
