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KUNC is among the founding partners of the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration of public media stations that serve the Western states of Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

USFWS Reinstates Protections For Grizzly Bears Near Yellowstone

There are roughly 700 bears near Yellowstone National Park that were originally delisted. But the federal government has reinstated protections.
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There are roughly 700 bears near Yellowstone National Park that were originally delisted. But the federal government has reinstated protections.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service has reinstated Endangered Species Act protections for grizzly bears living near Yellowstone National Park.

 

In the lower 48 there are six isolated regions of grizzly habitat, but the biggest population of bears live in Wyoming. That’s why the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service removed protections for those roughly 700 bears last year. 

A judge ruled against that decision saying it was based on bad science and that the federal government has to look at the bear population in the lower 48 as a whole and not just consider isolated pockets. 

Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney of Wyoming criticized the relisting, saying it wasn’t rooted in science but “rather the result of excessive litigation pursued by radical environmentalists.” 

Environmental attorney Matthew Bishop disagrees.

"Grizzlies are not recovered in the lower 48 yet," says Bishop. "So we think any attempts to try and delist these isolated populations is premature, and we just don’t think it’s the right approach to grizzly bear recovery."

The reinstatement of protections means that all grizzlies in the lower 48 are protected again. The federal government is appealing.

Find reporter Amanda Peacher on Twitter @amandapeacher.

Copyright 2019 Boise State Public Radio

This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho,  KUER in Salt Lake City, KUNR in Nevada and KRCC and KUNC in Colorado.

Copyright 2020 Boise State Public Radio News. To see more, visit Boise State Public Radio News.

Amanda Peacher is an Arthur F. Burns fellow reporting and producing in Berlin in 2013. Amanda is from Portland, Oregon, where she works as the public insight journalist for Oregon Public Broadcasting. She produces radio and online stories, data visualizations, multimedia projects, and facilitates community engagement opportunities for OPB's newsroom.
Amanda Peacher
Amanda Peacher works for the Mountain West News Bureau out of Boise State Public Radio. She's an Idaho native who returned home after a decade of living and reporting in Oregon. She's an award-winning reporter with a background in community engagement and investigative journalism.
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