Wyoming To Petition For Delisting of Grizzly Bears
Nicolas Lenze 09.22.21
Grizzly bears are currently protected at a federal level – noting its 46-year, $52 million effort to protect grizzly numbers – Wyoming now wishes to take over. In the next couple of weeks, Governor Mark Gordon will petition the federal government for the delisting of grizzlies.
Wyoming will petition the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to return management of the grizzly bear, now protected by the federal Endangered Species Act, to the state, Gov. Mark Gordon said Thursday.
The petition, to be filed in coming weeks, will be specific to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem population of bruins and the states of Wyoming, Idaho and Montana, Gordon said.
Wyoming Petitions For Grizzly Delisting
As Governor Mark Gordon gets ready to petition to reclaim responsibility for the animals, he has clearly laid out his reasoning. One fact he’s noted is that grizzly numbers had reached federal recovery goals back in 2003. There are now more than 1,000 grizzlies in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. While the reason for this is still debated (I suspect picnic baskets), there has been an increase in confrontations between grizzly bears and humans. After the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed protections in 2018, Wyoming planned a 24-quota grizzly hunting season, which was quickly shot down by a judge. Since then, Governor Gordon has said that the state’s management plan would see updates, as well as transporting bears to new locations to ensure genetic diversity.
If you’d like to know more about the Federal Endangered Species List, follow this link. You can also search based on your location to find which species near you are listed as endangered. If you are interested in learning more about the state of Wyoming and all she has to offer, head to wyo.gov. When hunting, fishing, or otherwise enjoying the outdoors, remember to keep conservation in your mind!
