USFWS announces proposal to manage grizzlies in the northern Rocky Mountains as a single protected population

If approved, all grizzlies in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Washington would be managed as a single population under the Endangered Species Act.

BOISE, ID – Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) upheld Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections for grizzly bears in the lower 48 states, while proposing a management revision to enhance conservation and recovery of the species. Under the proposed rule, grizzlies in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Washington would appropriately be listed and managed as a single population instead of the current six distinct population segments (DPS). The proposal also introduces “additional management flexibility” to address concerns of those living with and near bears.

The Idaho Conservation League is encouraged by the proposal, which addresses both the needs of grizzlies and local communities.

“The decision to integrate all six recovery areas into a single region of suitable habitat relied on the best scientific research available and represents a welcomed, holistic management approach based on biological needs of grizzlies,” said Jeff Abrams, ICL’s wildlife program associate. “It ensures a healthy future for grizzly bears and gives practical tools to managers and communities that reflect real-world social dimensions of living with this iconic species.”

Thanks to protections provided by the Endangered Species Act, grizzly populations have grown in two significant, yet disconnected areas of core habitat—the Greater Yellowstone and Northern Continental Divide Ecosystems.

Grizzly bear populations in other recovery zones—including the Selkirk, Cabinet-Yaak, and Bitterroot recovery areas, which are primarily in Idaho—have not seen such success. ICL has voiced concerns over these recovery zones remaining biologically disconnected from growing populations in the Greater Yellowstone and Northern Continental Divide. Today’s decision addresses this issue; by managing grizzly bears in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Washington as a single DPS, or “metapopulation,” mechanisms for movement and connectivity between subpopulations of bears can be better integrated into coordinated state and federal management strategies.

“We are encouraged that the USFWS decision addresses habitat connectivity issues that would have prevented sustainable, long-term recovery for this keystone species,” continued Abrams. “While Idaho’s vast 6,000-square mile Bitterroot recovery zone remains unoccupied today, we are hopeful that this plan will allow grizzly bears to naturally move into the Bitterroot and other suitable habitat in a way that addresses community concerns about grizzly bear movement.”

The proposal also addresses other factors that have slowed grizzly recovery, including policies that contribute to human-bear conflicts and state-based game regulations that compromise the safety of bears trying to move between recovery areas. It also provides managers new tools to avoid and minimize potential conflicts between people and grizzlies.

Furthermore, the decision suggests that the state management proposals by Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming are insufficient to provide “adequate regulatory mechanisms” and that attempts by those states to assume control of grizzly management responsibilities are premature.

The proposal to designate a single distinct population segment and revise terms of grizzly bear conflict mitigation will be published in the coming days, triggering a 60-day public comment period. More information on the proposal is available at https://www.fws.gov/grizzlyrulemaking.

“This proposed revision can help ensure we build upon the grizzly bear conservation successes we have worked so hard for, and that this iconic species can thrive for future generations,” concluded Abrams. “Sound environmental management policy and decisions can help this native species serve its vital ecological role on the landscape, and remain an integral part of Idaho’s wildlife heritage.”

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USFWS announces proposal to manage grizzlies in the northern Rocky Mountains as a single protected population

Abby Urbanek

USFWS announces proposal to manage grizzlies in the northern Rocky Mountains as a single protected population

If approved, all grizzlies in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Washington would be managed as a single population under the Endangered Species Act.

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