GYE grizzlies could face delisting in January USFWS decision
By Jen Clancey STAFF WRITER
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks likened the trail of newly introduced grizzlies to “the doodling of a toddler” in a Dec. 13 press release. This past summer, one female and one male grizzly bear were relocated from the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
The bears were relocated to support genetic diversity of the GYE population, an ecosystem that has been isolated from neighboring populations for years. Ever since, the bears have had their nose to the ground scouting out their new home, and one appears more curious than the other.
FWP’s tracking of the male and female releases show that the female has traveled west near Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, and back to the center of the GYE. The male has remained in the area around Yellowstone Lake.
“We are very pleased to see that both bears have remained in the GYE, even staying mostly within remote areas of the Recovery Zone,” stated Cecily Costello, grizzly bear researcher for FWP, in the release. “It’s not always easy for a bear to adjust after being moved like this, but they seem to be settling in. We believe both have recently found a den site for the winter.”
Ken McDonald, head of FWP’s wildlife division, said that the bears were prime candidates for translocation, as they were subadult—at an age before sexual reproduction when bears begin searching for their permanent home range. The bears also need to have no history of conflict and weigh enough to be in good shape for hibernation preparation.
The Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem, the origin for the two bears, and the GYE, their new home, are in the mix for delisting discussions. If delisted, grizzly bears would no longer have protections under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
Grizzly bear numbers in the NCDE and GYE reached population recovery levels a few years ago, according to FWP. The agency reports that Montana has petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to delist bears in the NCDE. Wyoming has petitioned to delist grizzlies in the GYE, supported by both Idaho and Montana.
USFWS is expected to make a decision on whether grizzly bears will be delisted in the GYE by the end of January. Fourteen conservation organizations petitioned the USFWS on Dec. 11 to take a new approach to grizzly bear management, treating Northern Rockies bears as a single, interconnected population.
“Rather than delisting grizzlies at a time when they are most vulnerable to human-caused mortalities, the Service should revise its 1993 Recovery Plan—which the agency never intended to be final in the first place—and give grizzly bears in the Northern Rockies a chance at lasting and durable recovery,” the petition stated.
In the FWP release, McDonald stated that Montana and Wyoming are committed to connectivity and agencies will continue to monitor bear populations.
“That these bears are exploring their new ecosystem and seem to be doing well is an indication that they’ll thrive in their new environment,” McDonald stated. “It also reflects the commitment Montana has to grizzly bear conservation.”
