Protect the Greater Yellowstone grizzly-- Stop the delisting!

Greater Yellowstone Grizzlies

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has released a proposal to remove Endangered Species protections from grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone region, a move that could put the bears' health and future in serious jeopardy.

Grizzly bears are an essential piece of the American West, a wildlife icon that has been integral to the Yellowstone region for centuries. Each year, visitors spend millions in the region, hoping to catch a glimpse of a grizzly, this beautiful and powerful symbol of our wild heritage. And as an apex predator, their presence is crucial to the health of wildlife in the Greater Yellowstone region.

Thanks to Endangered Species protections, grizzly bears are making a remarkable recovery after being persecuted to the brink of extinction -- but they're still vulnerable. The proposal to delist the grizzly fails to preserve this progress -- in fact, it will reverse it. The bears' naturally slow reproductive rate, loss of key food sources to climate change, and state plans to reduce numbers through methods like trophy hunts, all spell disaster.

Protecting grizzly bears and other threatened species will require sustained pressure, especially in Congress where enemies of wildlife are planning new attacks this year. We need to generate political pressure on Congress to save endangered species and keep our bedrock wildlife protection law, the Endangered Species Act, intact.

Take action today to protect Greater Yellowstone grizzlies!

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While grizzlies have made a comeback, their recovery is still a delicate and uncertain effort. Grizzly bears occupy less than  2% of their historic range in the lower 48 and reproduce very slowly, at a rate of only 1-2 cubs every few years. In the Yellowstone region, the growth of the population has stalled since the early 2000s, and there was a 6% decline last year.

The proposed rule leaves Greater Yellowstone grizzlies in the crosshairs, as states have made clear their plans to reduce the population, including through trophy hunts. Management of grizzly bears outside of the national parks would be left completely up to the states, which have historically been hostile to bears and other large carnivores. The current proposal would allow states to exceed maximum bear deaths for years before any review, allowing for potentially irreversible damage, and would allow complete eradication of bears in some areas. The loss of female grizzlies to trophy hunters who will not be able to tell the difference between a male and female bear could cause a steep, quick decline before emergency action can be taken. Additionally, the Yellowstone grizzly population remains isolated; further limiting their range and numbers could prevent them from ever connecting to other grizzly populations. 
 
People and bears can coexist. We should not let bears slide back towards extinction because of misplaced political hostility towards these magnificent and beloved creatures. The end result of this proposal will be fewer bears limited to an even smaller portion of the Yellowstone region.

We need to protect Yellowstone grizzlies until there are adequate plans in place at the state level to ensure, not endanger, their true recovery.

I oppose the planned delisting of the Yellowstone grizzly bear population. The proposal to remove Yellowstone grizzly bears from the endangered species list fails to preserve the progress made toward bear recovery. In fact, it will reverse it. The Greater Yellowstone grizzly bear is one of the United States’ most iconic species. Held sacred by native communities for thousands of years in the west, the majestic grizzly has become a treasured symbol of our wild heritage. Visitors spend millions of dollars in the region every year, a vital part of many local economies, in the hopes of spotting a magnificent grizzly. The loss of the grizzly would be a loss for the entire region, and a disservice to the wildlife professionals, dedicated conservationists and wildlife advocates who have fought to save them. While grizzlies have made a comeback, their recovery is still a delicate and uncertain effort. Grizzly bears occupy less than 2% of their historic range in the lower 48 and reproduce very slowly, at a rate of only 1-2 cubs every few years. In the Yellowstone region, the growth of the population has stalled since the early 2000s, and there was a 6% decline last year. The proposed rule leaves Greater Yellowstone grizzlies in the crosshairs, as states have made clear their plans to reduce the population, including through trophy hunts. Management of grizzly bears outside of the national parks would be left completely up to the states, which have historically been hostile to bears and other large carnivores. The current proposal would allow states to exceed maximum bear deaths for years before any review, allowing for potentially irreversible damage, and would allow complete eradication of bears in some areas. The loss of female grizzlies to trophy hunters who will not be able to tell the difference between a male and female bear could cause a steep, quick decline before emergency action can be taken. Additionally, the Yellowstone grizzly population remains isolated; further limiting their range and numbers could prevent them from ever connecting to other grizzly populations. People and bears can coexist. We should not let bears slide back towards extinction because of misplaced political hostility towards these magnificent and beloved creatures. The end result of this proposal will be fewer bears limited to an even smaller portion of the Yellowstone region. We need to protect Yellowstone grizzlies until there are adequate plans in place at the state level to ensure, not endanger, their true recovery.

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